Imprisoners
by Nate Grey
Summary: It all began with the luminescent baby. And it never ended. It doesn't matter, if you're a hero or a villain. The only thing that matters, is how and when the Light calls you to serve.
1. Uravity Grounded

Notes: Something I've wanted to do for a while. I was going to hold off on posting, but based on where the manga appears to be headed, I wanted to go ahead with this, in case parts of this prove very similar to the canon material. As a nod to the anime, I've included brief character Quirk intros in the midst of relevant scenes.

Summary: It all began with the luminescent baby. And it never ended. It doesn't matter, if you're a hero or a villain. The only thing that matters, is how and when the Light calls you to serve.

* * *

 **Imprisoners**  
 **A My Hero Academia Fanfic by**  
 **Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**  
 **Chapter 1: Uravity Grounded**

* * *

"How does that feel, Ochaco-chan? Not too tight?"

The younger woman slowly flexed her bandaged arm. "No, it feels great. Thanks, Mama!"

The older woman beamed at her. "Of course, dear. You know you can come by anytime."

Ochaco Kirishima frowned slightly. "I... really shouldn't, though. I only came here because I was close by when I got hurt. I know you guys have an open door policy at this base, but-"

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 _Ochaco Kirishima_  
 _Alignment: Civilian_  
 _Title: (Formerly Pro Hero, Uravity)_  
 _Affiliation: Uraraka Construction_  
 _Quirk: ZERO GRAVITY_

 _She gave up her high-floating, weightless ways to raise a family! Now she dedicates her life to building low-cost housing for retired heroes and victims of tragedy!_

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"You know what Izuku always says. Once a member, always a member. And you were one of the founders."

"That was a very different time, though." Ochaco sighed wistfully and stared at the far wall of the infirmary. "A time when I thought I'd be the only other person calling you 'Mama', but now..."

"Now, nearly everyone I treat calls me that. I suppose it's a compliment. There was a time when I thought I didn't deserve to call myself that, and now almost every hero I meet praises my qualities as a mother."

"You are a great mother, Inko-san," Ochaco said softly. "One I've tried to be more like. If it wasn't for your advice-"

"You would have figured it out," Inko Midoriya interrupted firmly. "I've seen you with Ichiro. You have good instincts, and he's the one with a great mother."

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 _Inko Midoriya_  
 _Alignment: Civilian_  
 _Title: "Mamadoriya"_  
 _Affiliation: Deku Force_  
 _Quirk: ATTRACTION OF SMALL OBJECTS_

 _She is best known for her warm, motherly nature, and having raised the rising hero, Deku! Anyone who has experienced her tender care can truly say, "There's no place like home!"_

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Ochaco blushed, as much from the compliment as from the thought of her son's grinning face. He was so adorable that she simply couldn't stand it at times. Fortunately, he was not yet old enough to realize that being constantly hugged and kissed by his mother might be a bad thing. Of course, Ichiro's father had no complaints about getting similar treatment himself.

"Ah, I need to bring in the extra antiseptic that was delivered last night," Inko said suddenly. "Ochaco-chan, could you watch things for a few minutes while I'm gone? I'm expecting a call soon."

"Sure," Ochaco said warmly. "Take your time. It hasn't been so long that I forgot how things run around here."

Inko smiled and patted Ochako's uninjured arm before leaving the room.

After a few moments, Ochaco stood up and looked around the infirmary. Very little had changed in her time away. There was the table where they'd placed the shrapnel removed from Tsuyu's left arm. Next to it was the chair where Ochaco sat when Izuku popped her right arm back into the socket. And over there was the specially reinforced bed where Izuku received nearly all of his treatments, no matter how small. No doubt it still smelled like him, too.

Ochaco quickly forced that lingering thought from her mind. She started to pull out her cellphone to call home when a warning light on the display screen built into the nearby wall flashed red, indicating an incoming call. Out of habit, Ochaco tapped the light, turning it green, and accepted the call with the old greeting. "You've reached Deku Force Base, Uravity speaking."

The screen lit up, showing a younger woman with long, white hair and red eyes. Her red costume was covered in dirt and singed in some places, but she seemed cheerful despite that, especially when she realized who had answered the call.

"Oh! Uravity! So nice to see you again! It's me, Eri! Remember?"

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 _Eri_  
 _Alignment: Hero_  
 _Title: Reversion Hero, Erilution_  
 _Affiliation: Deku Force_  
 _Quirk: REWIND_

 _She's cute, but don't touch without permission! Her Rewind can revert a person to any previous state! That means perfect health, old wounds, memory loss, and for the worst of the worst, even total erasure!_

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Ochaco forced herself to smile. Of course she remembered the girl who had effectively replaced her on Deku Force, even if it was more a matter of timing than anything else. It was not Eri's fault that she had been recruited by Izuku only minutes before Ochaco had resigned from the team. Indeed, when Izuku first brought Eri to the base to meet the team, he'd been shocked that Ochaco was not there to greet them, doubly so when he learned why.

"Yes, I remember you, Eri-chan," Ochaco replied, hoping her voice didn't tremble too much. "It's Erilution now, right?" At Eri's eager nod, Ochaco added, "Did you need something?"

"Yes! We're about three minutes away from the base, and Froppy asked me to call ahead and tell Mama that we're bringing four guests. Um, I think they were called Kingly Murderous Explosion?"

Ochaco found herself smiling genuinely. "I'm pretty sure that's Explosive Murder Kings, unless they changed the name recently. Is one of them a loud, scary guy that blows stuff up?"

Eri frowned. "Yeah, he looked like the leader. Or acted like it."

"That's Bakugo, and he... well, you get used to him. Eventually."

"Mmm, I don't know. Oh, but his wife is really nice!"

"I know, we were all friends in high school. Anyway, I'll pass the message on to Mama. See you in a few, Eri-chan."

"Okay! Bye-bye!"

Ochaco sighed as she ended the call. She hadn't planned to stick around, since it could mean running into Deku, but now she definitely would. It was uncomfortable enough, being around the guy she used to have a crush on, now that she was married. It was worse, both of them knowing that she'd quit the team because of him.

Five minutes later, Ochaco and Inko were standing in the hangar as each team emerged from their respective hovercraft. Ochaco had purposely positioned herself a bit closer to the hovercraft of the Explosive Murder Kings, and hoped it wasn't too obvious.

First down the ramp was a pink blur that launched itself at Ochaco and wrapped her in a warm hug. "Ochaco! I missed you, it's been ages!"

Ochaco smiled as the blur became one of her dearest friends, Mina Ashido - no, it was Mina Bakugo now, she had to keep reminding herself. "Hi, Mina-chan! It's great to see you!"

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 _Mina Bakugo_  
 _Alignment: Hero_  
 _Title: Alien Queen Hero, Pinky_  
 _Affiliation: Explosive Murder Kings_  
 _Quirk: ACID_

 _Pink and cuddly, but the Acid she produces makes her tricky to hold onto! Handle with care_!

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"Oooh, tell me you've got new pictures of Ichiro!" Mina gushed. "He's so cute I could just gobble him up!"

Within seconds, they were both squealing over Ichiro's cuteness as Ochaco cycled through some pictures on her phone. They were interrupted by a cough, and Ochaco looked up to see the "loud, scary guy" glaring at her. "Oh, hi, Bakugo! Been a while, huh?"

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 _Katsuki Bakugo_  
 _Alignment: Hero_  
 _Title: Explosively Murderous Hero, Live Grenade_  
 _Affiliation: Explosive Murder Kings_  
 _Quirk: EXPLOSION_

 _His pin's always pulled, so run for your life! His Explosion is huge, but his body count is minimal! A scary, no-nonsense hero that 7 out of 10 kids love!_

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Katsuki Bakugo grunted, though not as rudely as he might have once. And he seemed significantly less threatening when Mina bounced over and latched onto his arm, giving him a swift peck on the cheek. Ochaco still had no idea how her bubbly friend had managed to hook one of the wildest men she'd ever met, but they had dated for three years before getting married, and Mina seemed happy enough. Bakugo... still seemed like Bakugo, though perhaps a slightly more mellow version. Which only meant that Ochaco had never seen him yelling at Mina, which had to count for something, considering how much he yelled at virtually anyone else.

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 _Shoto Todoroki_  
 _Alignment: Hero_  
 _Title: Freezing Flaming Hero, ColdNova_  
 _Affiliation: Explosive Murder Kings_  
 _Quirk: HALF-COLD HALF-HOT_

 _The bloodline of Endeavor shines through, but don't overlook a mother's Quirk! Half-Cold Half-Hot is burning one minute, and freezing the next!_

 _Momo Todoroki_  
 _Alignment: Hero_  
 _Title: Everything Hero, Creati_  
 _Affiliation: Explosive Murder Kings_  
 _Quirk: CREATION_

 _Behind the sharp mind and the soft smile lies a Quirk of All Trades! Creation never leaves her empty-handed! A hero with equipment for any and every situation!_

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Behind them were Shoto and Momo Todoroki, arm in arm, and looking tired but satisfied. Shoto stopped briefly to shake Ochaco's hand, then left her and Momo to catch up. This couple made more sense to Ochaco, since there had at least been some attraction on Momo's part beforehand. Momo was one of those friends who had made an extra effort to stay in touch with everyone, and was always the driving force behind planned get-togethers. Ochaco had to admit that she had been impressed when Momo produced a slim, white-haired woman at one of these gatherings and introduced her as "Mother Todoroki", who had not been seen in public in years. That was one of the few meetings Shoto had been present for, and he and his siblings had hovered protectively around their mother the entire time, in a way that was both very sweet and a little sad.

All too soon, however, Momo left, and Ochaco found herself alone with the youngest member of Deku Force, who had been patiently waiting to speak to her. Eri all but ran to Ochaco and bowed politely.

Ochaco patted Eri on the shoulder. "You don't need to bow to me."

"I'm working very hard to become a dependable member of Deku Force!" Eri blurted out. "I hope I can make you proud of me one day!"

"Don't worry about that," Ochaco replied. "Just be the best Eri you can be. That's all anyone can ask."

"She's a very good Eri," Tsuyu Asui said as she joined them. "The very best one I've ever seen."

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 _Tsuyu Asui_  
 _Alignment: Hero_  
 _Title: Rainy Season Hero, Froppy_  
 _Affiliaton: Deku Force_  
 _Quirk: FROG_

 _Frog wo-man, frog wo-man, does whatever a frog girl can! She leaps, she licks, but **don't** ask about the trick with her stomach!_

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Eri blushed at the praise. "Thank you, Tsu-chan!"

Tsuyu nodded. "Go and help Mama with the restocking, Eri-chan. Thanks to you, we don't need the infirmary quite as much, but there's always a chance someone could get hurt while you're not here."

Eri nodded and hurried away.

"Is she really fitting in so well?" Ochaco asked once Eri was gone.

"It's not hard for her to," Tsuyu responded. "You know Deku Force is about being a family, and that's all Eri has wanted for so long. She just wants to belong, and to help people. You notice she didn't ask if she could heal your arm?"

Ochaco blinked. "Was she supposed to ask?"

"No. But she noticed your bandage right away, and I had to tell her not to offer unless you asked first. She would gladly exhaust herself, using her Quirk to help anyone. We're still working on that."

Ochaco didn't want to admit it, but she was impressed. Eri's Quirk, Rewind, was both incredibly useful and dangerously powerful. She could rewind a person's body to a previous state. The most common application was returning someone to a state before they were injured. But, if Eri wasn't careful, she could wipe someone from existence entirely. And if she was careful, she could return someone to a time when they were gravely injured. But she tended to save that for especially violent or cruel people. Ochaco was certain that Eri's recruitment into Deku Force was at least partially because of her personal history with Deku: not only was he one of the first people to show her kindness, she could undo and prevent entirely the physical damage that Deku suffered from overusing his own Quirk.

"So," Tsuyu said knowingly, staring at Ochaco. "What are you doing here? You never come to visit. Not here, anyway."

Ochaco sighed. Tsuyu always knew too much. "Don't laugh, but there was a cat stuck in a tree, and I couldn't just ignore it. But he didn't appreciate the rescue, and scratched me. I happened to be in the neighborhood, and I didn't want to go to a hospital. Inko-san said she'd be happy to treat me, so... here I am."

"I see." Tsuyu didn't sound as if she believed the whole story, but didn't argue the point. "Well, it's good to see you, Ochaco-chan. Can you stay for a while? I can make us some tea."

"Maybe just a few minutes, Tsu-chan. I really do need to get home to Ichiro."

Tsuyu croaked in a way that Ochaco understood was a laugh. "I guess I wouldn't be able to resist, if I had a guy that cute waiting for me at home, either."

Ochaco blushed. "Tsu-chan, please don't tease me."

"No teasing. He is a real cutie, everyone thinks so." Tsuyu sighed wistfully. "I just hope, one day..."

Ochaco watched her uncomfortably. "Tsu-chan, do you two still-?"

A voice interrupted them. "Ochaco?" it asked in surprise.

She froze, trying not to wince. That voice, speaking her name, it still sent shivers down her spine. Ochaco turned her head slightly, watching the slowly approaching figure over Tsuyu's shoulder. "Hi, Izuku," she said softly.

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 _Izuku Midoriya_  
 _Alignment: Hero_  
 _Title: Unstoppable Hero, Deku_  
 _Affiliation: Deku Force_  
 _Quirk: BODY BOOST_

 _Broken bones, shredded body, it doesn't matter! Nothing can keep Deku down! Whatever the reason, whenever the season, if Deku is there, the day is already saved! His Body Boost is ridiculously powerful_!

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He looked shocked. "When Eri told me that you answered the call, I just assumed-"

"That I wouldn't be here when you got back?"

Izuku frowned. "Well... yeah."

Ochaco nodded. "That was my plan, I admit. I... don't know why I stayed. Maybe I just wanted to see some old friends again."

"You're always welcome here, Ochaco. That will never change."

She sighed. "That was never the problem, Izuku."

"You two should talk," Tsuyu said abruptly. "I'll make tea."

"You don't have to leave-" Ochaco said quickly.

"I want to," Tsuyu replied. "You know where to find me." She paused, then gave Ochaco a quick hug before leaving.

"It's been a long time," Izuku muttered. "Since we've seen each other."

"Yes," Ochaco agreed.

"How have you been?"

"Better."

"I heard you've retired from hero work."

"Mostly. Sometimes I can't resist, if I see someone in trouble. You know how it is."

Izuku nodded. "How's Ichiro?"

Ochaco smiled. "Happy. Getting stronger every minute. He broke five coffee tables last month."

Izuku tried very hard not to laugh. "Listen, Ochaco. I don't know what you want for his future, but even if he doesn't become a pro hero, I'd be happy to help him learn how to control his Quirk. Just say the word."

Ochaco stared at him. The offer was genuine, even well-meaning. But underneath it, there was more, and it was dangerous. "I really appreciate that, Izuku. I'll keep it mind. But for now, we're managing."

"I don't suppose there's any chance you'd be willing to come back to Deku Force? Even part-time?"

"I told you exactly why I left. Have you resolved that issue the way I asked you to?"

Izuku closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I see. Then you know my answer. But to be completely honest, even if you had resolved the issue, I don't think I could come back. Being around you, it's still too hard for me. I have a family, and you're trying to start one. I think me coming back would be the worst possible thing for both of us right now. And for you to even suggest it-"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted. "You're absolutely right. I just... I miss you."

Ochaco smiled weakly. "That's just it. If we only missed each other as friends or teammates, we might be able to address that. But I can't forget that you were my first serious boyfriend, and I don't think you can, either. That's a big problem. And I don't think you're asking me back just because you miss having me around. If you're hoping for something that I can't give, and that you wouldn't have any business accepting in the first place, I can't. I won't. You know how important loyalty is to me, and I feel like I'm stabbing Tsuyu in the back just by talking to you. And if you've become the type of person who would do that to her-"

"No. I haven't."

"Good. I would hate to think you had compromised your morals to that extent. Or that Tsuyu had let you."

"I'm not the only one here who misses you, Ochaco."

"But you are the only one missing me for the wrong reasons, Izuku. Please, don't ask me back anymore. It would mean nothing good for anyone if I ever accepted."

Izuku looked like he was defeated, but still wanted to argue despite that. That was, Ochaco knew, how much she meant to him. It was both flattering and worrying. And it was the last thing she wanted the final member of Deku Force overhearing as he emerged from the hovercraft.

"Hi, honey!" she said loudly, quickly moving past Izuku.

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 _Eijiro Kirishima_  
 _Alignment: Hero_  
 _Title: Sturdy Hero, Red Riot_  
 _Affiliation: Deku Force, Uraraka Construction_  
 _Quirk: HARDENING_

 _Hard as steel, tough as nails! The only thing that can overcome his Hardening is the love of his wife and child!_

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The burly, red-haired man turned to greet her with a big grin and large arms outstretched. He immediately swept her into a tight hug, and planted a mind-numbing, toe-curling kiss on her lips that left her seeing stars. If there was one thing she could always say about him, he never lacked passion.

"Babe, you'll never guess what happened to me today!" he practically gushed, squeezing her. "This kid comes up to me, and asks me to sign his Red Riot action figure! He even had it in the original packaging!"

Ochaco smiled and pecked him on the lips. "That's wonderful, honey. Good for you!" It never failed to amaze her, how simple things like this got him excited. True, he was not one of the more well-known members of Deku Force, because he had bounced around between several teams before finally making his way back home. Some people had even started jokingly calling him the "Every Team Hero". But what they didn't understand was that any team would be lucky to have him, and he was proud to have helped so many of them. No one would ever be able to say that Red Riot had turned his back on someone who asked for his help.

The same, unfortunately, could not be said for Uravity.

Ochaco had almost forgotten Izuku was there until he cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable.

"Thanks for helping us out again today, Eijiro," Izuku said. "I know I said it would only be a few missions, but-"

Eijiro waved him off. "No sweat, bro! Red Riot is always happy to help out! Call me anytime!"

Ochaco had no doubt that Izuku would keep calling, if only to keep her at least indirectly involved in Deku Force. But it probably didn't hurt that her husband was willing to pretend that the history between herself and Izuku was entirely friendly and innocent.

* * *

Ochaco had barely stepped through the front door of her home when a loud crash greeted her. Sighing, she shot Eijiro a grateful smile as he removed her coat for her. Then she clapped her hands loudly. "Ichiro, we're home!" she called into the house.

An even louder crash was the response, and then her six year-old son hurled himself into the room, nearly crashing into her head, if not for the hardened hand that snatched him out of the air.

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 _Ichiro Kirishima_  
 _Alignment: Civilian_  
 _Title: (Unofficial) Interplanetary Hero, Falling Star_  
 _Affiliation: Uraraka Construction_  
 _Quirk: WEIGHTLESS ROCK_

 _He flies, he crashes, repeat as needed! Weightless Rock both hardens his body and briefly suspends its gravitational pull! The ultimate enemy of household furnitur_ e!

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"I told you about that, you little monkey!" Eijiro growled, digging his knuckles into their son's skull. "No launching yourself at the parent without Hardening!"

Ichiro only giggled, automatically hardening his head to the degree that he barely felt the punishment, if it could even be called that. Only when his father stopped did the boy relax his skin to normal and greet his mother with a sunny smile and a hug. "Mama, Papa! I broke three chairs today!" he crowed, throwing his arms around Ochaco's neck and giving her a big, sloppy kiss on the cheek.

Ochaco couldn't help it, she covered his grinning face with kisses. "Oh, my little man is so strong!"

"Of course! Nothing less from Interplanetary Hero, Falling Star!" Ichiro raised both arms and made whooshing noises, as if soaring through the air. Ochaco kept a tight grip on him to make sure he actually didn't. She hated to think how much of their furniture had been destroyed in their absence.

Oddly enough, Quirk combination had never even entered her mind when she and Eijiro first started dating. She had only been glad to find a decent guy who understood and accepted her past with Izuku. Now, though, she wished she had at least thought about it. A child who could essentially become a living boulder and then hurl himself around the house as if he weighed nothing was surely any parent's nightmare. She had long since lost count how much of their furniture and home itself had been sacrificed in the name of raising their son. But she wouldn't have traded him for any other child in the world. She just would have installed shock absorbers on everything she owned first.

"Come on, brat," Eijiro said, plucking Ichiro from his mother's arms. "You broke the house and everything in it, let's see how you do against something that can fight back."

"Yeah!" Ichiro immediately hardened his body and began pummeling every inch of his father that he could reach. Fortunately, Eijiro was in the habit of keeping his skin slightly hardened any time he was near his son, so this did not result in injury.

Ochaco rolled her eyes. "I'll get dinner started."

"Mama, play with me later!" Ichiro demanded, shooting her a pleading look.

"Sure, sweetie," Ochaco agreed, blowing him a kiss. An evening flight with her son sounded nice, but she knew most of it would be spent trying to keep him from smashing through nearby trees. And yet, when Ichiro's face lit up at her promise, and the ever-present blush in his cheeks highlighted his grin, Ochaco knew she would change nothing about her life, so long as she got to see that grin every day.

* * *

Tsuyu's mind was whirling as she slowly dried the dinner dishes.

Izuku had never really been the type to brood, but he did tend to obsess over things, which was worse in some ways. Rather than get depressed over a failure, he would hyper-focus on ways to prevent it from reoccurring.

And there was nothing he tended to hyper-focus on more than what had gone wrong with Ochaco.

Tsuyu couldn't really blame him. First loves were hard to let go of. She would know, since Izuku was hers, and despite all of his flaws, or how much easier it should have been to love anyone else, she still wanted him. She was willing to wait. For what, she couldn't say. But she thought she would know, when or if it happened.

A proposal, most likely. Conflicted as Izuku was over the matter, he had been raised almost entirely by his mother, and he had seen how being alone weighed on her. He would never commit to a marriage that he couldn't put his all into. So if he ever did propose, it would be because he was all in, for the long haul.

Since seeing Ochaco still shook him up so much that he couldn't come home the same night, he was nowhere near ready for marriage to anyone. And that was only one of the two issues still keeping their relationship in a holding pattern. Of the two problems, the Ochaco one was at least something she'd suspected would be a hassle all along, and she'd prepared herself for it. But the second... that was something that Izuku would have to realize on his own that he'd trapped himself in. No one could tell him, or at least no one could convince him to listen. And Tsuyu didn't mind admitting that it bothered her far more than his feelings for Ochaco ever had.

"Tsu-chan, do you need any help?" Eri asked as she poked her head into the kitchen.

Tsuyu blinked. "Uh, no. Thanks, Eri-chan. I'm almost done here."

Eri frowned. "Are you really sure?"

Tsuyu started to answer, then realized that Eri didn't really mean the dishes. And it made her smile. Eri was just like Izuku: always trying to fix everything. The only difference was, this was a problem that wasn't too big for Eri to handle.

"Actually," Tsuyu said slowly, "I don't think Izuku will be back until late. So since it'll just be the two of us..."

Eri's eyes lit up. "Slumber party!"

Tsuyu smiled. "Sure. And listen. There are... some serious things I want to talk to you about, Eri-chan. About our family, and how things are."

"Okay!" Eri chirped. She skipped out of the room, obviously going to get things ready for the slumber party.

Tsuyu sighed and frowned. She wasn't sure what she'd say to Eri, exactly. Izuku was always worried about how sensitive Eri was, but Tsuyu knew better. Eri had lived through some truly horrible things, and nothing had broken her spirit yet. Tsuyu's relationship troubles wouldn't phase her too much... except for the fact that they involved Izuku, and that most of it was his fault. And though Tsuyu couldn't be sure, she thought Eri already knew the real reason why they had slumber parties any time that Izuku didn't come home: because on those nights, Tsuyu didn't want to be as alone as she actually felt.

* * *

The sight of Blightgate Prison looming before him always filled Izuku with a healthy amount of dread. He knew it was a necessary evil, as it contained a very large number of villains, but more threatening than that was the prison's reputation. There had never been a single successful escape, for a very simple reason: it was a no-Quirk zone. Not as in Quirks weren't allowed, but as in they ceased to work once inside. This was even true for the prison guards, so the ones who did depend on their Quirks to do their jobs, could only secure the perimeter. But among that number were guards with Quirks that specialized in swift, crippling attacks. Fortunately for Izuku, also among them was a former classmate who didn't mind doing him a favor occasionally. But those favors weren't free.

"You should really be at home right now, Izuku. Does Tsuyu know you're here?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Denki," Izuku replied as he approached his old friend.

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 _Denki Kaminari_  
 _Alignment: Hero_  
 _Title: Stun Gun Hero, Chargebolt_  
 _Affiliation: Blightgate Prison_  
 _Quirk: ELECTRIFICATION_

 _The shocking pro hero turned prison guard! His Electrification makes him a living taser, and puts the stun on bad guys on the run_!

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Denki Kaminari grunted and led Izuku to the front gate. "Well, tough. I don't mind getting you inside, but I do mind if you're hurting Tsuyu more than you absolutely have to. I could have married her, you know."

"I doubt it. Your Quirks don't exactly mix, and you aren't really her type."

"And how would you know that?"

"She told me. You hung out with Minoru way too much for her to even think about giving you a shot. Plus, someone started a rumor that your repeated... shock treatments weren't exactly boosting the quality of your, um, little soldiers."

Denki glared at him. "That's not-!"

"I said it was a rumor. I never believed it, and I don't think Tsuyu did, either... but she still didn't want to risk it. If you'd ever seen yourself in a mirror after you got shocked, you'd understand."

"Quit smiling! It's not funny!"

Izuku coughed. "Sorry, man. Anyway, you probably stood a better chance with Kyoka. You both always looked like you were in the same band."

"Didn't work out," Denki muttered. "She got sick of how I looked when I shocked myself, too."

"Ouch. Sorry. Again."

"Yeah, well, I'm alone, but I've still got enough sense to see you're blowing your shot with a great girl. Again. This is your third visit this month. Didn't think I was counting? I bet I'm not the only one, either. You're wrecking your own love life worse than any villain could, Izuku."

"That's just it, though. My dream was never to have a great love life. It was to be a hero. And if that means I'll never have the type of love that people dream of, I can accept that."

"But can Tsuyu?"

"She says she can. I just don't know if I want her to be right, or wrong."

Denki signaled a guard beyond the gate. "I never ask what you do in there, and I never will. But if you break Tsuyu's heart, your next visit is permanent. That's the least you'd deserve."

Izuku nodded. "You won't hear any argument from me, Denki. Thanks again."

* * *

 **Continued in Chapter 2: Deku Neutralized**

Izuku made a choice that Ochaco could not forgive.


	2. Deku Neutralized

**Imprisoners**  
 **A My Hero Academia Fanfic by**  
 **Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**  
 **Chapter 2: Deku Neutralized**

* * *

It took almost five minutes, but Izuku emerged from the changing room dressed only in the prison issue uniform, no different from those any inmate would wear. The guards always did a double-take at how much smaller he looked out of his hero costume.

"You understand why this is all necessary, sir?" one of the guards asked.

Izuku nodded. "Yes."

"Do you need to review any of the safety procedures?"

"No."

"Do you want the cameras on?"

"Yes."

A pause. "Can I ask why you want these sessions filmed?"

Izuku hesitated. "Her mind isn't like others. She may be giving me information that will only become clear later on."

The guard seemed satisfied with that. "I'm required to remind you that neither of your Quirks can activate within the facility."

"Yes, I know."

"Very well. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

The closest guard unlocked the triple-thick steel door and pulled it open.

Izuku slowly walked into the padded cell, his gaze trained solely on the female figure curled up on the bed. "Good evening, Himiko-san."

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 _Himiko Toga_  
 _Alignment: Villain_  
 _Title: Vampiric Villain, Love Bite_  
 _Affiliation: League of Villains_  
 _Quirk: TRANSFORM_

 _The attractive, lovesick schoolgirl who becomes a true menace with any sharp object in reach! Avoid her fangs at all costs!_

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In a blur of movement, she was perched on the bed like a cat, hungrily licking her lips. "Izuku-kun! You came back to see me! I'm sooooo happy!"

The guard quickly shut the door.

"Same deal as always," Izuku said.

Himiko grinned. "I give you info, and you take me on one of our special little playdates!"

Izuku noticed with dismay that some of precautions had already failed, or at least not been enforced. There was supposed to be a muzzle over her mouth that only allowed her to eat, and then only through a special tube. The muzzle was missing. Thankfully, her hands were covered by thick, shapeless gloves, but it hardly mattered.

She would draw blood before they were done. She always found a way. And he had the scars to prove it.

She was on him in an instant, and though Izuku was strong enough to overpower her even without his Quirk, he didn't want to hurt her. And in any case, that wasn't the point. She didn't want to kill him. She only wanted to hurt him. Not enough to do any serious damage, just enough where he would never forget her or their time together.

It bothered him, how much he understood her now. Because it meant she understood him, too.

Ten minutes later, he had the location of another villain hideout, as well as a new scar on his neck.

Himiko was sprawled across her bed, a blissful grin spread across her face. She licked her lips, savoring the taste of his fresh blood in her mouth. "I love you, Izuku-kun," she purred happily.

Izuku closed his eyes and tried to pretend he hadn't heard her.

It hadn't worked yet.

* * *

Izuku typically found himself pausing in the prison's designated parking lot for visitors. Sometimes, but not often, he would turn back and look at the spot in the prison where he knew Himiko's cell was. Even though her cell wasn't visible from the outside, he told himself he was doing it just to make sure she hadn't escaped and followed him.

"Midoriya," said a voice behind him.

Izuku paused and turned at the sound of that voice. "Shinso?"

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 _Hitoshi Shinso_  
 _Alignment: Hero_  
 _Title: Mind-Crushing Hero, Psilence_  
 _Affiliation: Explosive Murder Kings_  
 _Quirk: BRAINWASHING_

 _A former Inspector who always asks the right questions! Answer him, and his Brainwashing takes ove_ r!

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The figure emerged out of the night: tall, slim, and sharp-eyed. Hitoshi Shinso had not changed much from their days together at UA. He now seemed to prefer wearing trenchoats, however, possibly a habit he developed from police work. "I thought it best to respond to your offer in person. You are still looking for a permanent member of Deku Force?"

Izuku nodded. "I am."

"Why me? I do not exactly fit the mold that you have set."

"That's true. But you want to use your power to help people. Assistant Commissioner Tsukauchi told me. How you worked with the police for years, maximizing the application of your Quirk, before joining your first hero team."

"It wasn't just that. I knew I would need recommendations to get work anywhere, with my Quirk." He paused. "Tell me you aren't asking me to work with Toga."

"No, for several reasons. She wouldn't cooperate with anyone else. And even if she would, it would require removing her from this prison, where neither of you can use your Quirks, to one where you both could. That's too risky."

"Agreed. I understand that even without her Quirk, her natural physical abilities are not to be overlooked."

"Yes." Izuku paused. "Are you still interested in joining us, Shinso?"

"I could be. How exactly were you thinking of using me?"

"I'm sure you know, but many villains tend to enjoy hearing themselves talk. Sometimes it's just banter, but some of them actually love to boast about what they're doing. And some are more tight-lipped. I don't want you to think that's the only reason we're approaching you, but it is a large one."

"And, perhaps, with me aboard, you would not have to make... arrangements such as this one," Shinso suggested.

"There's that, too," Izuku agreed. "But she was a special case, and-"

"No," Shinso said firmly. "Don't give her an excuse. None of them are special. They are people who break the laws. Some of them have an excuse that sounds decent. She doesn't. Don't give her a pass, Midoriya."

"I have to. I just told you why it can't be you. I wish it could be."

"I don't know if I believe that. But I accept that you believe it, even if I don't approve. But there is one thing I must know."

"What's that?"

"How is it possible that you have this arrangement, and still maintain a relationship with Asui?"

Izuku blinked, and realized with a start that if Shinso had phrased the question in a different way, Izuku might have attacked him without thinking. But he had known Shinso a long time, and the one thing he could always honestly say was that Shinso never held his tongue. If he had intended to insult, it would have been obvious. But in this case, he was obviously trying to address a sensitive issue without being insensitive. And he was one of the few brave enough to ask Izuku so directly.

Finally, Izuku decided to admit the truth. "Shinso... I honestly don't know."

Shinso stared at him for a long moment.

Izuku sighed, wishing that Shinso had used his Quirk to ask the question, so they wouldn't have to revisit this later.

"I believe you," Shinso said at last. "And I am honored to join Deku Force. I need to have one final meeting with my current employers, and then we can arrange a debriefing for your team."

Izuku blinked. "I was going to make an announcement, but-"

"You misunderstand. There are important things that any team I'm a part of must be made aware of. It's a certain investigation that I've been pursuing for my entire life. Tsukauchi gave me his blessing to inform you, and I'm not surprised he hasn't told you." Shinso paused and slowly offered his hand. "Thank you for this opportunity, Midoriya. I admit I underestimated you, back in school. But I'm glad you proved me wrong."

Izuku grasped Shinso's hand firmly. "Glad to have you aboard. I promise that you won't regret it."

* * *

Izuku had learned the hard way that long showers only wasted water and never made him feel any cleaner. So his showers directly after meeting with Himiko were generally the same length as his usual ones, just with some extra attention on his new wounds.

At least, unless Tsuyu was showering with him.

Izuku had nearly had a heart attack, the first time he turned in the shower and found Tsuyu standing there with her hands extended. They'd only been dating for a few months at the time, had never seen each other naked, and had done nothing more intimate than deep kissing. And it would still be another few months before they actually began to share a bed.

But Tsuyu insisted that he explain the wounds, and once he reluctantly had, she insisted on cleaning them for him. She didn't always, but when she did, Izuku found it easier to give in, rather than to fight her off and feel the weight of her stare on his back for days afterward.

He had offered to leave Tsuyu only twice, and she'd slapped him with her tongue both times.

And while Izuku did not understand how Tsuyu continued to be in a relationship with him, he did understand that offering her a way out, or implying that they should break up, was deeply insulting to her sense of loyalty. If she was going to leave him, she would be the one to decide it. But she never would, Izuku feared. Just as he feared that Himiko was only giving him tiny bits of the vast amount of information she had. Strangely, she had been in prison for years, but her intel was rarely outdated. And if it was, then she warned him it would be. And regardless, there was some way to use everything she told him, if he gave it enough thought. She was still useful, there was no denying that. And so long as she was, he would have to keep visiting her. And so long as he did, Tsuyu was probably the only woman who would stay by his side.

Ochaco certainly hadn't. Not that he blamed her, but it was just more proof that Tsuyu was either far more amazing, or far more willing to suffer, than Ochaco was.

* * *

Shinso signed the last bit of paperwork, slid it across the desk, and stood up.

"It's official, then," Momo Todoroki said softly, stacking the paperwork neatly and placing it on the left side of the desk. "You are hereby resigned from the Explosive Murder Kings. I thank you for all of your hard work, Shinso-kun."

Shinso bowed to her. "I should be the one thanking you, Momo-san. If not for the custom gauntlets you made for me-"

She waved him off. "I outfit every member of this team, whenever possible. I would have done it even if you hadn't been one of us. You are a true hero, and I know you will succeed in your next venture. Of course, you are welcome to return to us, if you should change your mind."

"I don't think I will, but thank you. And please be mindful of my warnings."

"We will." Momo extended her hand for him to shake. "I hope you find everything that you are looking for."

"I intend to." He grasped her hand, shook it firmly, and then released it. "Please be very careful, Momo-san. If I do decide to come back here, I hope that you will still be here to greet me."

She smiled. "I plan to be. Good luck with Deku Force, but I doubt you'll need much luck there."

Shinso bowed to her again, then turned and walked out of the office.

Momo sighed and sank into her chair. She would miss Shinso, but there were bigger issues to deal with now. That was no doubt the feeling of every team, organization, or agency that he'd transferred from. It shouldn't have surprised her, though. Shinso was a truth-teller, and there was always the stench of undeniable truth left in his wake. But it was the particular truths he'd unveiled as part of her team that left Momo rattled.

Slowly, as if hoping things hadn't changed, she drew a folder from her open desk drawer, placed it on the desk, and opened it. The very first page was her own pro hero profile. And in the section designated to list her Quirk, which should have been titled "Creation", and even did momentarily, there was a problem.

For now, the entry, as her gaze landed on it, shifted and changed, despite her willing, and then begging, it not to.

The entry now read: "Light of Creation."

Momo's face darkened, an uncharacteristic curse slipping from her mouth as she slammed the folder shut.

* * *

Himiko was almost asleep when the door to her cell opened again. "You two are sooo late," she complained, opening one eye lazily.

"We had to wait for Deku to leave," the first visitor said. "He always lingers after visiting you. Guess you just have that sort of impact on him."

Himiko grinned. "Yeah, well, I am totally adorable! Even you're in love with me, aren't you, pervy little brother?"

"S-Shut up!" he snapped, his cheeks turning red.

"Aw, I love you, too!" Himiko blew him a kiss, then turned to the last of their group. "Why so quiet, little sis? Nothing to say?"

After a moment, the air seemed to shift, and then a second Himiko appeared in front of the first, although with some key differences. She was slightly shorter, better groomed, wearing a white bodysuit, and had a mole over her left eye.

"The meeting will start soon," the younger sister said. "We'll be punished if we're late."

"Yeah, yeah." The brother tapped an unassuming spot on the wall, and a hidden section slid away, revealing a large display screen, which instantly lit up.

The three knelt on the padded flood and bowed their heads.

"Traitorous Three, reporting in," Himiko announced.

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 _Title: Traitorous Three_  
 _Alignment: Villain_  
 _Their specialty is infiltration and subtle control!_

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"All serve the Light," came the cold reply. "It's time you came home for a visit, my children."

* * *

 **Continued in Chapter 3: Because Traitors Are Here**

Who is the traitor?! You might want to sit first. This will take a while.

* * *

 **Endnotes:**

I was hoping that Shinso would reappear in an attempt to gain entry into the hero course, and it looks like that's happening now. So that's why I decided to go ahead and post this story.


	3. Because Traitors Are Here

Notes: I should stress that I'll be ignoring everything they introduced about Shinso's Quirk in chapter 196. I pretty much have to, since they've essentially undone every use I had planned for it with these new limitations. I prefer my version, so I'll be sticking with it.

Warning: There is minor character death. Take that how you will.

* * *

 **Imprisoners**  
 **A My Hero Academia Fanfic by**  
 **Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**  
 **Chapter 3: Because Traitors Are Here**

* * *

"I'm proud to introduce our newest teammate, Hitoshi Shinso!"

Opening his eyes slowly, Shinso stood up to receive the applause of his new teammates in Deku Force. It was, he noted, far more enthusiastic then he'd expected. Either Izuku had coached his team well, or they were genuinely excited to have him join them.

It wouldn't last. Rarely ever did, where he was concerned. Not, however, due to prejudice against his Quirk. No, more because of what his Quirk invariably brought to life: every single ugly truth. And he had more than a few in store already.

"Thank you all for that warm welcome," Shinso began. "Having recently completed a term of service with your brother team, the Explosive Murder Kings, I have developed a renewed sense of decorum. So I warn you now, what I say next will disturb you. It may even cause you to rethink my joining this team. But everything I say, I do in the interest of safety. You need to know these things, precisely because no one else can or will tell you. You need to know, because without this information, you could all disappear. And I don't mean death. I only wish I did."

The looks of concern and unease were starting already, but he ignored them.

"First, let me introduce myself and my Quirk. I am Hitoshi Shinso, better known as the Mind-Crushing Hero, Psilence. My Quirk is Brainwashing. So long as someone answers a question I ask them, I can force them to do almost anything. I've had a great deal of time to develop my Quirk. Under ideal conditions, I can even make someone capable of something they normally would be unable to do. I don't need to pose the trigger question verbally, nor does the answer need to be verbal. Just yesterday, I asked a prison guard if his wife was pretty. I knew the answer simply from the way he shifted his eyes, and he fell under my control. So long as I gain a definite answer to my question, nothing else matters."

Izuku looked very surprised at that, as Shinso had known he would.

"To take full advantage of my Quirk, I also wear these." He rolled back his sleeve, revealing a silver gauntlet that encased his arm. "They fire darts that contain a harmless stimulant. If you're familiar with laughing gas, then you can think of this as talking tonic. I've created two blends: one for everyday criminals, and one for villains, though I find I rarely need to use them these days. Evildoers typically love to brag and taunt, so it's usually just a matter of asking the right question the right way. All that is important, but you need to understand what I am capable of, in order to accept how I came across the information that I will reveal to you next."

Shinso paused, his gaze landing on his youngest teammate. "Eri, may I have your assistance in a demonstration?"

"Sure!" Eri replied at once, happy to help.

"Thank you. A year ago on this day, I was in a car accident. The only notable injury was a broken left arm. I would like you to return my body to that state now."

Eri stared at him in shock and dismay.

"Is this not possible? Do you not have that degree of control yet?"

"It's... not that I can't do it," Eri said hesitantly. "Especially since you told me the exact date and condition, it's not that hard. But I wouldn't do that to a friend!"

Shinso nodded. "I see. But may I point out something to you, Eri?"

"Yes?"

"You have answered four of my questions now. Each and every one of them was a trigger question."

Eri stared at him blankly, then reached out and touched his hand.

Shinso winced as an audible snap was heard. But instead of his entire arm being broken, he lifted his hand to show his clearly broken finger. "I lied. This was my only injury in that car accident. Because I instructed the villain in the other car to only break my finger. He was not so lucky."

Izuku was gaping at him. "Shinso, what-?"

"Please let me finish, Midoriya. If this small revelation shocks you, then you need to hear the rest even more than I feared. When I am done, if any of you have serious concerns about me joining the team, we can address them then. But I promise, you need to hear what I am about to tell you. Even now, you are all in grave danger, and you don't even know it."

"We should at least hear him out," Tsuyu said after a pause.

There were no objections.

Shinso continued. "Most people are not aware of it, but my Quirk is the result of a Quirk marriage. My father had a Quirk called King's Edict. So long as his mind was totally focused and his will was greater, he could command someone to do what he wished by touching them. They would remember what they did, though not why they did it. My mother's Quirk was passed off as Fortune-Telling, but the truth was that it was Memory Erasure. She could erase a memory, and learned to do so in a way that allowed the natural power of suggestion in person's mind to lead them to a certain conclusion. Their Quirks were frightening, but they were good people. I remember them being kind, and their laughter filled me with warmth. But the mixture of their Quirks in me, combined with her own, made us targets. On my mother's 28th birthday, she vanished from our home. There was no sign of a struggle, and she had given no indication that she intended to leave. Although my father insisted she could only have been abducted, the authorities decided that she had abandoned her family, and refused to investigate any further. My father wouldn't, couldn't let it go. He confronted the police officer in charge of the case and demanded answers. When that failed, he grabbed the officer's arm, intending to make use of King's Edict. But what he found was... unexpected. The officer also had a Quirk, one just as formidable. It was called TruthLight: Stare."

Izuku opened his mouth to interrupt, but Shinso shook his head. It wasn't time yet.

"Something very odd happened. My father suspects it was because they were both using their Quirks at the same time, in attempt to yank information out of each other. At any rate, when they came into physical contact, their Quirks changed. Or, more specifically, they exchanged activation requirements. Because from that day forward, my father could only use his Quirk by making eye contact, and the police officer needed to touch people to activate his Quirk. Even stranger, my father knew this the instant it happened, and confirmed it by immediately using his Quirk on the officer a second time. He ordered the officer to state both of their Quirks out loud. The officer said his own Quirk was TruthLight: Touch, and that my father's was King's Light: Stare."

"You're saying they changed each other's Quirks, just by touching each other?" Tsuyu asked.

"No, I think it was more than that. I believe that their individual Quirks were descended from the same source. I cannot explain why this happened. But the fact that it did at all, however, presents many possibilities. Including that the same thing happened to my mother: she encountered someone who altered her Quirk, and either the resulting knowledge incapacitated her long enough for them to abduct her, or the knowledge made it impossible for her to return home."

"That's quite a leap in logic," Tsuyu said.

"Perhaps it would be. Except that there are tons of missing persons cases that are never pursued to any firm conclusion. All of those missing people had Quirks. And not one has been found."

"There is no way that could be covered up-"

"The police do not pursue them, not for long. The media does not report on them. Families of the missing cannot go public, because if they try, they understand that they will vanish, as well. Even the true names of the Quirks are purposely hidden, so that the public does not learn the truth."

"To what end?" Izuku asked. "Why go to all of that trouble to abduct people?"

Shinso sighed. "You have all heard of the Luminescent Baby of China?" When they all nodded, he went on. "Can even one of you tell me what that child's life was like, once it became a teenager? Its adulthood? Death?"

No one could.

"These things... if they were ever recorded, those records are gone now. As for the child itself, its entire life, beyond that miraculous birth, is a mystery."

"You're saying someone kidnapped that baby, too?" Tsuyu asked.

"No. I have no proof of this, but I believe that baby is connected to the kidnappings. Or at least, to the secret society that is behind the kidnappings. I believe this because of the very nature of the society, and I have been investigating it long enough to be certain. That child would certainly have been of great interest to them."

"Why?" Izuku asked.

"This secret society calls itself IllumiNation, and every person born into their first generation had a light-based Quirk. But over time, as they grew larger, their Quirks changed. They altered to adapt and conceal themselves. But they cannot change their basic drive: they are light-seekers, light-bearers, and light-generators. And they will use whatever means they deem necessary to obtain their desires. Kidnapping, blackmail, murder. There is nothing that is beyond them. And you have already drawn their gaze upon you."

"What? How?" Izuku demanded.

"I told you, they seek light, especially within Quirks. But light can take many forms. The light of truth. The light of creation. The all-encompassing light of the sun. The all-consuming light of destruction. IllumiNation would claim them all. And especially the courageous light that sparks a flame in another, even as it dies out."

"They... want that?" Izuku whispered.

"It's more accurate to say they admire it. But they are watching you, and have been for some time. You remember your former classmate, Hagakure?"

Izuku grimaced. "Not this again! I'm sick of those stupid rumors!"

Shinso nodded. "Rumors that she was a traitor."

"She wasn't, dammit! She fought beside us and died a hero's death!"

"And you won't hear me say a single negative thing about Hagakure. My issue is with Hitomi."

Izuku blinked. "Who is that?"

"The girl who began lying from the moment that she said she was Hagakure."

"You mean, someone was posing as Hagakure all that time?"

"No, I mean Hitomi _was_ Hagakure. But Hagakure herself was the lie. She never existed. But for the entire time that Hitomi was posing at her, I cannot deny that Hagakure was a hero. She saved lives, truly helped people. And when she was done, she faked her death, and returned to IllumiNation."

"That can't be true!" Izuku protested. "We saw-"

"If you're about to say that you saw an invisible girl die, please consider those words very carefully," Shinso muttered.

Izuku blushed. "I only meant... we were facing a villain named AtoMick. He was essentially a living bomb. Hagakure charged in to shove him away from some civilians, and he exploded. Her clothing, what little of it she was wearing, was completely vaporized. We searched the area for days, and she was never found."

"Strange that she would be wearing any clothing at all, since that would allow AtoMick to detect her," Shinso noted.

Izuku glared at him. "This isn't a joke!"

"I agree." Shinso drew a photograph from his coat and handed it to Izuku. "Please identify that woman."

Izuku, still in a bad mood, only glanced at the person in the photograph. "You know it's Himiko."

"Look closer."

Sighing, Izuku looked again, and froze. "Wait, that's not-"

"Yes?" Shinso asked.

"She's... shorter than Himiko. And there's a mole over her left eye."

"That is Hitomi. The classmate you went to school with, yet could not pick out of a lineup, because she was invisible the entire time you knew her. And who you would have instantly recognized as Toga's younger sister, if she was ever visible in front of you. I can only assume that she was tasked with gathering intelligence, and was recalled once she had enough. What I can tell you for certain is that she is very much alive. Part of the reason I was at Blightgate prison was to confirm that Hitomi hadn't helped Toga escape."

"But that makes no sense," Izuku said. "It's not like Himiko's location is a secret, and Hagakure definitely knew about it, for years. If they're really sisters, why would Hitomi wait so long to free Himiko?"

Shinso shook his head. "You assume that Hitomi's priority is to free her sister immediately, and that Toga's is to escape. But you don't really know either of them, or what they want. Suppose what Toga wants is to stay exactly where she is. Her freedom is restricted, yes, but there is one thing she has now that she didn't before: regular, allowed access to you. I am told she has never even tried to escape, and is particularly docile on days when your visits are announced. Does this sound like someone unhappy with her current status? Toga is a parasite, and she has found her preferred host."

"Don't talk about her like that!" Izuku snapped, rising to his feet. "She's a person!"

"A person who has clearly done her assigned job well," Shinso said, equal parts disgusted and impressed. "You are defending the ruin she has made of your life, Midoriya. It's no wonder they've managed to infiltrate so easily. You practically invited them in."

* * *

"Hey. Wake up, we're here."

Makoto Tsukauchi slowly opened her eyes and yawned, then frowned. "This... doesn't look like the fishing trip I was promised."

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 _Makoto Tsukauchi_  
 _Alignment: Civilian_  
 _Affiliation: J-Hero News (Reporter)_  
 _Quirk: POLYGRAPH_

 _With her Polygraph, lies and truth are exposed by her touch!_

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Her older brother Naomasa had said he was taking her fishing, as a way to reconnect. Only he would say that, seeing as how she saw him at least three times a week already. And if she didn't, she could always go and bug him at his job. Everyone at the police station knew her on sight, and the few times he had been too busy to see her, he'd called her within minutes of her being turned away.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 _Naomasa Tsukauchi_  
 _Alignment: Justice (Assistant Commissioner of Police)_  
 _Affiliation: Police Force_  
 _Quirk: HUMAN LIE DETECTOR_

 _He works alongside heroes, and his Human Lie Detector always seeks the truth!_

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Except, now his car was parked outside of a large, unassuming white building. The parking lot was nearly filled to capacity, and she could see other people approaching the building's main entrance. The idea that her brother had mislead her was taking a backseat to her burning curiosity. Where were they, anyhow? And why had he even gone to the trouble of making her help him pack fishing gear as a clear alibi?

Naomasa offered no explanation, just got out of the car. He didn't gesture for her to follow, and didn't have to. Makoto was out of the car and following him in seconds. No way she was going to miss out on solving this mystery. "Do you even fish at all?" she demanded as they reached the door, grabbing his bare wrist.

He shot her a slightly hurt look. "Of course I do. Dad used to take me when I was a kid. And we try to make more time for it, now that he's retired."

Makoto frowned thoughtfully. "Huh. Okay."

"Did you really have to use your Quirk on me?" he asked, nodding at her grip on his wrist.

"Well, you're being extra mysterious about this. More than usual. And I get a feeling this has very little, or almost nothing, to do with you being a cop." Makoto released his arm. "But I guess if you were going to knock me out or throw a black bag over my head, you would have done that before-" She stopped herself, then frowned. "You drugged my coffee!"

"Sorry," Naomasa said. "Can we go in now?"

"You drugged my coffee!" Makoto repeated.

"Yes."

"Apologize! That was really good coffee!" Makoto insisted.

He sighed. "I am sorry I drugged your really good coffee, Makoto. Can we go in now?"

"Can you give me one reason why I should?"

"You mean, other than we both know you never give up on a mystery until you've solved it? You know Dad doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Makoto blinked. "Dad's here?"

Naomasa nodded. "Sure."

"This is the fishing trip?"

"This time, yes. But if you really want to go, then next time-"

She brushed past him, eager to head inside, but he caught her arm.

"Better let me take the lead. It needs to be clear that you're my guest. For security reasons."

Makoto frowned, but nodded and followed Naomasa inside. They walked through a short hallway, which immediately opened up into a gymnasium. Bleachers lined the walls, and Naomasa led Makoto to two free spots near the top of the bleachers along the farthest wall. It was an excellent vantage point, Makoto realized at once, and she wondered if she was meant to be looking for anyone.

"You two are late," said a familiar voice in front of her.

Makoto was more than a little startled to find her father looking at her. "Dad, what-?"

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 _Noritaka Tsukauchi_  
 _Alignment: Justice (Formerly Chief of Police)_  
 _Affiliation: IllumiNation_  
 _Quirk: TRUTHLIGHT: TOUCH_

 _...no data found..._

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He shushed her. "It's starting. Make sure you pay close attention."

The overhead lights dimmed, but it hardly mattered. Suddenly, there was a glowing figure standing in the middle of the room, and all eyes were naturally drawn to it. Except Makoto had a feeling that there was nothing natural about it. The light coming from the person, and the way it called to their eyes, no normal person could do that.

This was a Quirk, and a very powerful one.

"All serve the Light," said a pleasant voice.

Makoto found herself mouthing the words without really thinking about it, then shook her head hard. Something was very wrong here, she could feel it. Deciding that focusing on the shining figure and the voice were supremely bad ideas, she risked glancing at other people. They were all staring, which was no real surprise. But Makoto began to recognize a few of them. The first was a pro hero she'd seen on TV a few times, but the next was definitely a villain. And it seemed to go on like that: for every person on the side of justice, she was able to pick out just as many who either should have been or supposedly were locked up at the moment. And they were all here, in this gym, acting like none of that mattered. All they seemed to care about was staring at this glowing person.

She turned to tap her father on the shoulder, certain that he wasn't aware, but froze as she recognized the person sitting next to her father: AtoMick, one of the most wanted villains in the world. And though her father was retired, he had been a police officer long enough where he would have known a man like AtoMick on sight.

Something was very, very wrong here.

And suddenly, people were leaving.

AtoMick stood up and walked away, draping his arms around a pair of young blondes.

Makoto was not a police officer, but with two in the family, she couldn't deny that the potential was in her blood. Maybe that was what drove her to run after AtoMick. She just felt like she had to.

No one else was.

She had almost reached AtoMick when the taller blonde on his arm glanced back at her, grinned, and mouthed four words.

"All serve the Light."

Makoto knew those were the words, because she said them out loud. And the next thing she knew, AtoMick and the blondes were gone, and Naomasa was touching her shoulder.

"We should go," he said, offering nothing else.

Makoto felt she should protest, but for some reason, didn't. Was there really any point?

* * *

Himiko hummed softly to herself as she slipped back into her prison uniform, tossing her casual clothes to her brother Hikaru as she shed them. Even behind his thick black goggles, his face seemed stained a permanent red, but he never complained.

Hitomi, on the other hand, stood near the cell door, frowning as she watched.

"Something on your mind, little sis?" Himiko called.

"It doesn't have to be this way!" Hitomi blurted out.

"What way?"

"Onee-chan, why do you have to stay here?! This prison is completely under our control! We can let you out any time we want! So why is it your job to stay here?! All we have to do is-!"

"We've been over this, Hitomi-chan. It's my job to stay here because we have control of the prison. And if it means anything, I'm not unhappy. At least we're together all the time now. We weren't before, and you hated that more, right?"

"You don't belong in a cage," Hitomi insisted.

Himiko shrugged. "It doesn't feel like one, with you two here. And if I need to get out and stretch, I can. But we both know it's easier on you if I at least act like a prisoner."

"So this is for my sake?"

"You know it's not just you. We all have a job to do. This is mine. And so long as I get to do it with you, I'm happy."

"And this has nothing to do with Izuku?" Hitomi demanded.

Himiko laughed softly. "Well... that is a perk, I admit. Oh, but don't be jealous, Hitomi-chan. There's no one I love more than you, I promise!"

Hitomi blushed. "I know, but still-!"

"We're together, and no one is trying to keep us apart. That's all that matters now. I don't want to run away. I'm fine where I am. If I change my mind, you'll be the first to know." Himiko curled up on her bunk and winked at Hitomi. "This is your prison, Warden. So go and run it."

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 _Himiko Toga_  
 _Alignment: Villain_  
 _Title: Vampiric Villain, Love Bite_  
 _Affiliation: IllumiNation, Traitorous Three_  
 _Quirk: BLOODLIGHT: TASTE_

 _Once your blood is in her system, she's in the system! She takes the shape of those she tastes!_

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Hitomi sighed and turned away, leaving the cell with Hikaru on her heels. As she moved, an unusual, rainbow-tinted pattern began to spiral across her body, which was reflected in the eyes of the guards who lined the corridor. "Lockdown procedures," she snapped.

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 _Hitomi_  
 _Alignment: Villain_  
 _Title: Light Manipulating Villain, Strobe_  
 _Affiliation: IllumiNation, Traitorous Three_  
 _Quirk: BODYLIGHT: SEIZE_

 _Don't follow your eyes, she'll hypnotize! Looking directly at this villain is your demise! You'll see only what she desires!_

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"Yes, Warden!" the guards all replied, then moved in various directions to obey.

"We're doing the right thing," Hikaru said at the end of the hall, where they would part ways: he to the outside, and Hitomi to the warden's office. "You know I wouldn't agree to any plan that would hurt either of my precious sisters."

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 _Hikaru_  
 _Alignment: Villain_  
 _Title: Shock Burst Villain, Taser_  
 _Affiliation: IllumiNation, Traitorous Three_  
 _Quirk: CHARGELIGHT_

 _The shocking brother who desperately loves his cute sisters! A stunning specialist!_

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Hitomi gave him a brief grin. "Thanks, onii-chan. But I'm worried. If Deku really falls for her, or if she's really fallen for him... it would never end. One of them would have to die first."

"Then it won't be Himiko," Hikaru said firmly. "I'll see to it myself, if I have to. Right here, if I have to. So long as you've got everyone who comes here thinking Quirks don't work inside, we can take him out at any time. He'll go to his grave thinking he's Quirkless. And we don't even have to lure him here. He'll come on his own."

* * *

The ride home was entirely silent until Naomasa parked the car in his driveway.

"We should go fishing more often," Makoto said abruptly.

"Really?" Naomasa asked, slightly surprised. "You had a good time?" He looked directly into her eyes.

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 _Naomasa Tsukauchi_  
 _Alignment: Justice (Assistant Commissioner of Police)_  
 _Affiliation: IllumiNation_  
 _Quirk: TRUTHLIGHT: STARE_

 _...no data found..._

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"Sure," Makoto said, grinning at him. "You don't have to sound so surprised. You're a little boring, but not so much that I mind hanging out with you every now and then!"

Naomasa stared at her, almost a little sadly. "Next month, then?"

"Sounds great!" Makoto winked at him and got out of the car, a renewed bounce in her step.

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 _Makoto Tsukauchi_  
 _Alignment: Civilian (J-Hero News Reporter)_  
 _Affiliation: IllumiNation_  
 _Quirk: TRUTHLIGHT: TOUCH_

 _...no data found..._

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"Right," Naomasa murmured, closing his eyes tightly. "Next month..."

* * *

A glowing figure slowly moved through the underground corridors of Tartarus. This deep in such a high profile prison, it should have been accompanied by nothing less than a fully-armed team of security personnel. And yet, it was alone.

Finally, it came to a stop in front of a cell, and the figure's constant glow dimmed ever so slightly. A moment later, the steel wall split open, revealing the lone occupant of the cell.

"This is a surprise," said the amused prisoner. "The last time we spoke, you said you'd outgrown me. That my pursuits were too juvenile. That I was wasting my incredible gift."

"All of this is still true," the glowing figure agreed. "Still, we were comrades once, and I would not be who I am without your assistance. I felt I owed you one visit. But this is not a social call, merely a notification. All the pieces are in place. You had plenty of chances. Soon, One for All will belong to me, one way or another."

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 _Title: All for One_  
 _Alignment: Villain_  
 _Affiliation: League of Villains_  
 _Quirk(s): ALL FOR ONE, SEARCH, WARPING, AIR CANNON, INFAR-_

 _...entry truncated due to exceeding page limits..._

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"You sound quite confident," All for One noted. "So allow me to give notice as well: you should not have come here. Can you guess why?"

The glowing figure nodded. "I keep tabs on you, old friend. I am aware that you have acquired Ragdoll's Search. I know it allows you to see my name, something you have long desired. But I assume there was a greater purpose in obtaining that Quirk."

"And you don't care?"

"You could tell others my name. But I am long past the point where mere knowledge of any name could pose a threat to me. And I don't think you will tell. It's too much fun, watching them scramble blindly. You've always said so. I could even let you out right now. But you'd hate owing me that much, we both know it. So my offer to return the favor to you remains the same: if you desire a seat at my table, I will consider it."

All for One hummed as he heard his visitor turn to leave. There had been only truths, but one in that position rarely needed to lie. Out of curiosity, he focused on the sound of the visitor's fading footsteps. It was a little-known fact that among his massive collection of Quirks was the power to set and reset a Quirk's activation requirements... as well as making some of them constantly active. The concoction that was pumped into him daily by the prison staff prevented him from activating Quirks, especially the more action-oriented ones, but rarely interfered with Quirks that were both already active and passive in nature, as Search was for him.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 _Liang_  
 _Alignment: Unknown_  
 _Affiliation: IllumiNation_  
 _Quirk(s): ALL-CONSUM-_

 _...data feed interrupted..._

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It wasn't an issue on his end. Search was working perfectly. But Liang's Quirk - no, one of his Quirks - was, too.

All for One chuckled and lowered his head. "Well played, my old friend."

* * *

"I need to talk to you, Izuku."

He looked up from the city map at once, bothered by the grim expression on Eri's face. He had done everything in his power to keep her smiling, or so he'd thought. If she was looking like that now, he had missed something somewhere. "What's wrong, Eri?"

She slipped into the room and sat in the chair beside his. This was another warning sign. Either because of her past, or because it was the way that she and Izuku had first truly bonded, Eri almost always wanted to touch him. Not just because she was physically affectionate, but as he later realized, to check him for any lingering wounds she might have overlooked earlier. Izuku did not mind: the touching was entirely innocent, and had saved his life and career many times. It had become so commonplace for him to charge into danger with Eri clinging to his neck, he sometimes felt naked without her reassuring weight on his back.

So if Eri suddenly didn't want to touch him, it could mean nothing good.

"You have to stop," Eri whispered. "You can't keep doing it."

Izuku frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You're _hurting_ Tsu-chan!" Eri cried, tears in her eyes. "I don't know how or why, but you are, and I won't let you!"

Izuku tensed as Eri suddenly stood up, her red eyes blazing. Eri could be extremely dangerous when she didn't want to be, but even more lethal when she did want to be. "C-Calm down, Eri. Let's talk about this, okay?"

"You're not a bad guy, I know you aren't. You saved me. But now you're hurting Tsu-chan. Only a bad guy would do that. So... whatever you're doing, if you don't stop, it means you're a bad guy. And I can't be your partner anymore, if that's who you are. I'll protect Tsu-chan from you. So... go back to who you were, Izuku!" She paused, her eyes narrowing as a golden horn rapidly began to grow out of her forehead. "Go back, or I'll _make_ you go back!"

Izuku held out his hands. "Eri, stop and think for a minute. Your Quirk doesn't work that way."

She smiled sadly. "It can, though. I never told anyone, because I thought it was wrong when I found out. But I tested it on myself. I can make myself remember things that happened when I was really young. And when Tsu-chan thought about leaving you, I made her remember why she fell in love with you, so she changed her mind and decided to stay. So I bet I can make you remember that it's wrong to hurt Tsu-chan, because you must have forgotten."

"No, I didn't forget. But you-"

"You _can't_ break up the family, Izuku! You just can't! Tsu-chan belongs here with us! So go and fix it! Do whatever you have to do, just fix it! Promise me that you will! I know you don't break your promises!"

Izuku could have brought up how it was unethical, to force Tsuyu to remain in their family. But it wouldn't have calmed Eri down, which was most important at the moment. And, if he were honest with himself, he didn't want Tsuyu to leave, either. That she had been considering it meant she'd been pushed too far. By him. And if Tsuyu couldn't stay with him, no woman could. He couldn't lose her. And he couldn't let Eri lose her family. Not again.

"I'll fix it, Eri," Izuku swore. "I promise."

Eri relaxed at once, a clear sign that her faith in him hadn't wavered too much. A brilliant smile bloomed on her face, and she rushed into Izuku's waiting arms, hugging him tightly.

Izuku watched as the golden horn slowly shrank, vanishing into Eri's white hair. But he knew it was there, lying in wait for the next use. He would just have to make sure that one was a more controlled use. "I'll fix it," he said again, closing his eyes and squeezing Eri tenderly. "We won't lose our family. I'll never let that happen."

Neither of them was aware of Shinso, standing just outside the room, and having heard everything. With his usual blank expression, he slipped away silently, heading for Tsuyu's room. After everything he'd just heard, there was something he needed to confirm.

* * *

"Another dead end," Live Grenade sneered. "Damn Deku."

Red Riot said nothing. Technically, Deku's information hadn't been wrong. They were clearly standing in a former villain hideout. But it had been stripped clean, so there was nothing useful left. And if there had been something truly dangerous expected, it wouldn't have just been the two of them handling this mission. Red Riot had been assured it would be a quick "search and smash" job, which was the main reason he'd agreed to it. He preferred to avoid missions that would keep him from being home when Ichiro got up in the morning, but it was so rare for Live Grenade to ask for help, and Red Riot was one of the few he ever asked.

"Let's level this dump and get out of here," Live Grenade muttered. "Got a million other things I'd rather be doing right now."

Red Riot strongly suspected that all million of those things were various versions of snuggling with Mina, but wisely kept his mouth shut, and quickly threw a few Hardened punches at every support pillar he could find. He was just about to signal Live Grenade to let loose when they both picked up an emergency dispatch.

"Live Grenade, Red Riot, abort mission!" Creati shouted in their ears. "There's been an attack on a high-priority civilian residence!"

Red Riot's heart leaped into his throat. That almost had to mean it was a relative of someone on the team.

"Who?!" Live Grenade demanded.

Creati didn't answer, but there was a telltale click of her switching over to a recorded message.

"Katsuki," whispered a weak voice that caused Live Grenade's eyes to widen. "Facehugger is still in the Queen."

Red Riot blinked. "What the hell does that mean?"

Live Grenade ignored him. "Where are they, Creati?!"

"ColdNova didn't want to risk bringing them back to base, and since we were unable to locate the attacker, they'd be too exposed in a hospital. Red Riot, clock out." The connection ended abruptly.

"Wait... they're at my house?!" Red Riot squawked.

They both ran to the hovercraft, and Red Riot took the controls, correctly figuring that Live Grenade was so worked up that he was more likely to blow them out of the sky during transit.

"Okay, you have to tell me what that message meant, bro," Red Riot said as they lifted off.

"That was my mother." Live Grenade bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. "The Queen is Mina, and the Facehugger part means... the baby's okay."

Red Riot risked a glance at him. "Dude, I know your wife's hot, so she probably gets her way a lot, but... that's one gross code she came up with."

"Shut up and fly!"

* * *

It really was amazing, how quickly Ochaco was able to shift back into hero mode. Despite getting the call in the middle of the night, despite the uncertainty that one or more of her friends might be seriously hurt or worse, despite how much she hated being thrust into such a situation without her husband at her side, and with Ichiro to look after... she adjusted.

And now her bedroom was a Bakugo family trauma unit. Just as well, since she probably wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

Mitsuki, Katsuki's mother, was in bad shape. Something must have exploded directly in front of her, and either she had been unable to defend herself, or more likely, she had thrown herself in the way to protect someone behind her. The latter seemed most likely, considering there wasn't even a scratch on Mina, who was clinging to Mitsuki's hand and appeared to be on the edge of panic herself.

Masaru, Katsuki's father, was oddly calm, considering he was riddled with holes. They weren't bullet holes, however. Ochaco had seen those before. It looked more like someone had shot him with some sort of high-powered ray gun. Which she had also seen before, unfortunately. So while there was no chance of anything being lodged in him, that was because it was likely that every shot had pierced him clean through.

Ochaco couldn't help them, not really. No amount of first aid would save Katsuki's parents, so they were surely beyond Inko's help, as well. And yet, Ochaco called her first. But only because Inko lived at the Deku Force base, just as Eri did.

Ochaco would be lying if she said she wanted to see Eri again. But she also wanted Katsuki's parents to live, so her feelings about Eri didn't matter.

But reality wasn't a force that took Ochaco's wants into consideration. And so, when Ochaco went over that night in painstaking detail later on, she would determine that Masaru died only seconds after Deku Force's hovercraft touched down outside. He was still warm when Eri reached him, but there was nothing she could do, aside from making his corpse more presentable by filling in the holes. Not even Eri had ever managed to rewind death.

Mitsuki, however, was saved by Eri's Quirk, and within minutes was sitting up and hugging Mina tightly while they both sobbed. And when Katsuki burst into the room minutes later, he was dragged into the hug as if he'd been magnetized. Ochaco was happy to give them their space, and went straight to her husband when he came in.

"What happened, babe?" Eijiro asked, and then Ochaco's lips were on his, as she closed her eyes and tried, briefly, to forget the events of this awful night. It didn't work, but she hadn't really expected it to. Then Ichiro was clinging to her leg, and she knelt down to pick him up.

"I'm still not sure," Ochaco admitted. "Shota got to the scene first, and he brought them here. Maybe once Mitsuki and Mina calm down, they can tell us about the attack. But... I think it must have either been a villain, or someone who was equipped with high-powered weaponry." She closed her eyes and squeezed her husband's arm. "They were targeted."

Unsaid was that "they" could have easily been "us", and neither of them wanted to think about that, but they had to, for Ichiro's sake.

It was Eijiro who finally voiced something that hadn't even occurred to Ochaco. "I saw Tsuyu outside and passed Eri in the hall. Where's Izuku?"

Now that she thought about it, Ochaco was also surprised - no, downright shocked - that Izuku wasn't present. His closest childhood friend's family had been attacked, and that was reason enough for him to show up. But combined with a built-in excuse to see Ochaco again? Izuku wouldn't have missed that... and yet, he had. It was very strange, and worrying. There was at least a chance that Katsuki's family had not been the only targets.

Oddly, Tsuyu had no idea where Izuku was, and hadn't wanted to wait to find him. Inko and Shinso had remained behind at the Deku Force base, in case there was another emergency. Eijiro thought about calling them, anyway, but Ochaco had a better idea. Deku Force was a team and a family, but Izuku had only ever had one partner that went nearly everywhere he did. And it was strange enough, seeing Eri without Izuku.

Eri had returned to the bedroom, and was staring at Masaru's corpse. Ochaco had left out a blanket, in case the family wanted to cover him, but none of them had.

"Eri-chan," Ochaco said softly, getting the girl's attention. "I need your help."

"Are you hurt?" Eri asked at once.

"No, not that kind of help. Do you know where Izuku is?"

"Yes," Eri said simply.

After an awkward pause, Ochaco blinked. "Will you tell me where he is, please?"

Eri shook her head. "Sorry, I can't tell you. He's on a mission, but it's private."

"What does that mean?" Ochaco asked.

"I can't tell you," Eri insisted. "But it's very important to Deku Force."

* * *

Izuku grimaced as Himiko's tongue flicked against his neck one last time. The very last time. "I need to tell you something, Himiko-san."

She blinked and drew back slightly. "That's a first, Izuku-kun. You never want to do the talking."

He turned away from her, not wanting to see the look on her face as he spoke. "I can't see you anymore. It was never healthy or advised, but now... my priorities are different."

"You're... breaking up with me?" Himiko whispered in shock.

Izuku flinched. "It's not really accurate to call it AAAAAARGH!"

Her fangs bit deeply into his neck, and blood seemed to explode from the point of contact, coating her lips.

Izuku tried to grab her head, but she caught his wrists and held them with surprising strength.

"You can't break up with me," Himiko whispered against his gushing neck. "We're forever, Izuku-kun."

"Himi-" he gasped, feeling his strength rapidly fading.

The cell door flew open, someone shouted, and then everything went white.

* * *

 **Continued in Chapter 4: Wipe Unleashed**

Blightgate plays host to a special visitor, and secrets are exposed.

* * *

 **Endnotes:**

Again: I'll basically be ignoring everything they introduced about Shinso's Quirk in chapter 196, as it directly interferes with everything I had planned. The biggest difference is that my version's Quirk has far less limits, and his equipment eliminates the issue of being unable to force people to talk. It's up to you, which version you prefer. But for this story, I'll be using mine.

I have a feeling that Makoto would make a great reporter. It's also an occupation that would encourage her interest in vigilantes.

So to me, the top traitor suspects, in order, are Hagakure, Kaminari, and Aoyama. Mind you, those are people who I think could willingly be traitors, as in they haven't been forced to do it. As for why I didn't specify Aoyama as a traitor here... I didn't want to. Doesn't mean he isn't one. He certainly has a light-based Quirk, and behaves suspiciously. But, it is kind of hard for me to take him seriously. But maybe that's the point.

How would Hagakure provide reliable photo ID (reliable as in it would actually help someone locate her)? Her own parents are also invisible, supposedly. They can't all just have blank photos with shirt tops showing. There should be some established way to make them visible, if only once. And in the interest of establishing trust, you'd think Hagakure would want to be visible around her closest friends at least once. That's just one of the many issues surrounding her identity, and there are way too many of them for my liking. So I have a theory: Hagakure is either a lackluster student, or a supremely talented traitor. There's no middle ground. She consistently manages to do next to nothing in the field and training sessions. We have seen her special move exactly one time... and it's not that special, since it's her only offensive move. Sure, she's fun to be around... which is why her classmates are happy to cover for her in tough situations. Suppose she went missing and fell unconscious. How would UA find her? Scent? It could get lost the first time it rained. If All for One wanted her Quirk, he'd only need to steal it to render her completely unrecognizable... by making her visible. No one in UA has seen her that way. They never bothered to have Eraserhead try to turn off her Quirk, or had Ragdoll use Search to find her weaknesses. And there should be a class called "What to do if your Quirk is Stolen or Nullified" because that's a real possibility now, and for Hagakure especially, a deadly one. Yet every chance to examine her Quirk closely is skipped. Maybe they're forgetting her, as usual, or maybe she likes it that way.

What I found truly odd about Tartarus is that nowhere in their security measures is anything that forcibly prevents Quirk activation. There are only numerous deterrents that discourage the prisoners from attempting to use Quirks. So while Tartarus might be able to hold Stain, I don't really see it being the best place for someone with numerous Quirks, or someone who could fight on par with All Might. It's true All for One isn't in peak condition, but it sounds like all he'd really need to do to escape is tolerate being shot a lot, backhand a few hundred guards, and bust through a couple of walls. And if he had outside help, he might not even need to do that much. Someone that dangerous should require a prison specifically designed to hold them. And at the very least, something that turns off most, if not all, of their Quirks. Until Tartarus has that, it's pretty much just a waiting room to All for One.

The altered name of Himiko's Quirk is admittedly awkward. For that, you can blame both her and Stain (and to an even greater extent, Hidan) for having shared activation requirements. Because that got me to thinking (rarely a good thing): surely every Quirk that uses blood as a medium doesn't require it to be swallowed? The immediate image that came to mind was, what if Himiko's Quirk instead required her to bathe in someone's blood to take on their appearance? Which suddenly made just tasting it seem a lot more convenient (and less fatal) for all involved, but also gave me the idea that there might be similar Quirks with different activation requirements. Maybe there are people who need to see or smell blood to activate their Quirks.

One thing I can't figure out is why anyone would bother to give Tsukauchi such a terribly useful Quirk... and then never have him use it. Particularly when he would be especially suited to singling out a traitor. Even assuming that police officers with Quirks are forbidden to use them without permission, the alternative is to continue to allow someone or someones to sabotage UA from within, which ultimately endangers potential heroes, destroys public morale, and allows increasingly more villains to emerge and challenge untested potential heroes. That doesn't seem like something that Tsukauchi would allow without an incredibly good reason. So... this is one possible reason: he's in on it. Or has been ordered to stay out of it.


	4. Wipe Unleashed

Notes: I really don't like to involve too many OCs, so I hope the number isn't too high.

* * *

 **Imprisoners**  
 **A My Hero Academia Fanfic by**  
 **Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**  
 **Chapter 4: Wipe Unleashed**

* * *

"I'm telling you, boss, it was nothing like how you said it would be."

Liang leaned back in his chair, carefully considering the man on the other side of the desk. "Everything I told you was accurate, Lazer. You will not be penalized for your failure, but I cannot reward you, either."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 _Title: Beam Assassin, Lazer_  
 _Alignment: Villain_  
 _Affiliation: IllumiNation_

 _...no data found..._

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"I'm not worried about that, but your files need updating. When you told me about Mina Bakugo's Acid, you didn't say she could ignite it on command."

Liang slowly frowned at Lazer. "Explain."

"She threw the acid, her eyes flashed, and then it all exploded."

"That," Liang murmured, "has never happened before."

"It happened tonight. Almost killed me."

"Perhaps," Liang said softly, "I was wrong to give you this assignment. Kidnapping is not your area of expertise. But I expected resistance, and thought you would be better suited. Indeed, I have confirmation of one death. You have not lost your touch."

"I'm just sorry that I couldn't get what you wanted. And I'm not so sure I'm the one with the body count, this time. That explosion probably did it. It went off so close to them, I'm amazed they weren't all killed. My first thought was that Mina would rather die than get captured."

"Really," Liang murmured thoughtfully. "That is very interesting, considering her own status at the moment. I would have expected her to prioritize preserving her child's life over all else."

"Maybe she was. She couldn't know what you had planned for her, so she could only assume. Would you call life as a hostage living?"

Before Liang could answer, the speaker on his desk lit up. "Sir, we have a Priority-1 situation at Blightgate!"

Liang sighed and shook his head. "Himiko, you had one job," he muttered. Then he looked at Lazer. "This may be more your speed, if there should be any trouble. And this time, you'll be working with a partner. One with a perfect mission completion record."

Lazer frowned. "No offense, boss, but assisting Himiko isn't exactly a desired assignment."

"Oh? I was under the impression that you had recently failed a mission, and might be hoping to restore your reputation."

Lazer flinched. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Good. This will be a straightforward cleanup mission."

"So anyone we can't trust to stay quiet, can't be allowed to exist. You're right, sounds perfect for me."

"Your partner will handle anything directly related to Himiko. They have a history."

"A pleasant one, I hope."

Liang coughed. "Hardly. There is nothing pleasant about cleaning up when Himiko goes overboard."

* * *

It was not quite comfortable, squeezing Mina, Tsuyu, Eri, and Ochaco into the same bedroom. But it was safer, which was all Mina cared about at the moment. Mitsuki would have also been there, but she and Katsuki had stayed up late to talk things out. Katsuki had been moodier than usual, but that was expected, with his father newly dead. Mina had half-expected him to cremate Masaru on the spot, just to speed things along. It wouldn't have been so much callous as convenient: with people targeting them, a funeral was almost entirely out of the question. Not until they knew who and why, at least.

But Mina feared she already did know why. The only thing they had now, that they hadn't had before, was the tiny life growing inside of her. The very thought of someone already being after her baby, when it wasn't even close to being fully-formed yet, made her feel sick. Sick enough where she thought it would be a poor way to repay Ochaco's kindness, possibly vomiting in her bed while they were both in it.

Mina sat up in bed, only to find Eri also sitting up, but on the floor and propped up against the bed. It didn't look like either of them was going to get much sleep tonight.

"I'm really glad you weren't hurt, Mina-san," Eri said.

Mina smiled. "That's so sweet of you to say, Eri-chan. And I didn't say it earlier, but thank you so much for saving Mitsuki. She and I didn't get along when we first met, but after tonight, I'm sure that she's finally started to accept me. I was so upset when I thought I might lose her, and I'm sure she felt the same way. I'm sad about Masaru, but he liked me right away. If Mitsuki had died before I was sure that I had her approval, I don't know what I would have done."

"I didn't know all of that," Eri admitted. "I just meant that I'm glad I didn't have to try to heal you. Pregnant women are tricky for me. I think it's because the baby gets in the way."

Mina blinked. "You mean you have to be careful not to rewind them out of existence?"

"That, and babies are selfish. They don't care what's going on around them, because they're too young to consider anything that doesn't impact them directly. All they know is they like their house comfortable, and they don't like anything that makes the house uncomfortable." She paused and glanced at Mina. "You're the house, by the way."

Mina just stared. She was only a few weeks pregnant, so the comment did not have the same sting it would have after several months of pregnancy. Even so, she had to remind herself that Eri wasn't trying to be insulting.

"You should be careful," Eri continued. "Your little guy doesn't realize how strong he is. He'll protect you, but since he doesn't know friend from foe yet, he might hurt people he shouldn't. You need to teach him to recognize his family."

"How do you know this?" Mina asked softly.

"Izuku taught me to always pay attention. Mitsuki and Masaru were hurt in two completely different ways. Only one of those ways runs in the family. Your husband wasn't there, and if Masaru had been the one responsible, you would have noticed it."

"No, I meant... how do you know it's a boy?"

Eri blinked. "Oh. I don't know how I know. He just feels like a boy. Don't you think?"

"Honestly, I haven't felt anything like that yet. I'd be happy with a boy or a girl. And I hope they'll be happy with me."

"Sure, they will. You're really nice. You'll be a great mom. It's the scary dad I'd be worried about."

Mina laughed softly. "You don't know Katsuki like I do. He looks scary on the outside, but if you look deeper, he's a very good man. This baby is lucky to have a father like him."

Eri was no longer listening, however. She was staring in horror at her blinking wristband. It was linked to Izuku's own, and they were only supposed to blink if the life signs they detected from their partner were fading.

* * *

When Izuku opened his eyes, there was a chubby boy wearing a VR helmet and black gloves leaning over him.

"Wassup, bro," the boy said around whatever he was chewing. "You good?"

Izuku blinked. "Yes. Um, who are you?"

"Oh yeah. You can call me Save Point."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 _Title: Reset Kid, Save Point_  
 _Alignment: Unknown_  
 _Affiliation: IllumiNation_  
 _Quirk: SAVE YOUR GAME_

 _"Never lose your progress!" is Save Point's motto! No matter what happens after, so long as someone went through a door, he can restore them to the point just before they entered! But a lesson felt is a lesson learned, so the person gains a physical scar with a faint memory of their "Game Over" embedded in it!_

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Izuku slowly sat up. He gradually recognized that he was in a cell at Blightgate Prison. Judging by the size of the bed, the video game posters on the wall, the numerous game platforms stacked against one wall, and the huge TV next to them, this could only be Save Point's cell. Although it seemed more like a vacation home than a cell.

It was strange, though. Izuku had never actually visited any prisoner at Blightgate other than Himiko, or looked into their cells, but he felt certain this setup was unusual. The thought of Himiko caused a curious ache in his neck, and he rubbed the sensitive skin there.

"Better not mess with that too much," Save Point advised, passing him a handheld mirror.

Izuku slowly took the mirror and gasped. There were two rather large holes in his neck, or at least there had been, judging by the freshly healed scars. And suddenly, he had a brief vision of Himiko, smiling sweetly at him with blood coating the lower half of her face... his blood.

"Did she... try to kill me?" he whispered.

He had seen Himiko's file. In her twisted mind, bloodshed was an act of love. Repeated bloodshed was basis enough for a romantic relationship. Actually draining someone enough to kill them, to her, was the purest expression of love in existence. So it wasn't that she hated him. Just the opposite: she thought herself in love with him, and wanted him dead to prove the strength of her feelings. His "breaking up" with her had been the trigger, but she had always intended to kill him, eventually.

Hadn't she?

It was hard to say. In all of their encounters since she'd been locked up, never had Himiko tried to take things too far. Never had he felt his life was in real danger. And nowhere in her file was there a romantic relationship that had lasted more than a few months. But Himiko had been in Blightgate for years. Why was it so different this time? Why was Izuku different from every other guy she'd been interested in? It was pointless to just ask her, especially now, but what other way was there?

But, now that Izuku thought about it, he had no idea how he'd ended up in Save Point's cell. Didn't even know where in the prison it was. Or how or why he'd come to this cell in the first place. He had only ever come to visit Himiko.

Something wasn't adding up. Izuku could not even say for sure how fresh the memory of Himiko's mouth being covered in blood was, and it didn't seem like something that would be easy to forget.

"Save Point, could you-?"

"Better play it cool, bro," Save Point interrupted, turning his back to Izuku. "They're here."

The cell door slid open. Izuku was a little surprised to see Denki inside the prison, but the person with him was the bigger surprise, in that Izuku had never seen them among the prison guards, or at all. And Izuku did not typically forget cloaked people with full face masks that only revealed their eyes.

"Denki, do you know what's happening around here?" Izuku asked.

The look that Denki gave him was so cold and unexpected that Izuku had no response. It was almost like Denki hated him.

"Both of them?" the masked person asked in a tinny voice.

Denki shook his head. "The fat kid is one of ours. Don't bother with him."

"Very well." The masked person approached Izuku, who immediately tensed. "Calm yourself, Midoriya. If we wanted you hurt, we would have just let you bleed out."

Izuku froze. "Wait. That was-?"

"Real. Very much so. Too much so, in fact. But relax. It will not happen again."

"Who are you?" Izuku asked.

"They call me Wipe." The masked person stretched a hand toward Izuku. "You will soon _not_ find out why."

Izuku's world began to spin, and he collapsed.

* * *

Inko was not sure what to make of Deku Force's newest member. He did not seem all that approachable, but proved to be polite and fairly well-mannered despite that. She had come across people who had imposing physical appearances before, but there was something about Hitoshi Shinso... people were not meant to get close to him, and he seemed to prefer that.

Even so, he was a Deku Force member, and that meant he was family. Izuku would certainly never allow someone into his family unless he trusted them to do no harm to it.

With the rest of the team dealing with the attack on the Bakugo family, and Izuku away on personal business, this was the first time Inko had found herself alone in the base with Shinso. Although he had planned to spend the rest of the night reviewing files, Inko, hoping to get to know him, had invited him to have tea with her. Shinso agreed, but she sensed some reluctance on his part.

Shinso steered the conversation almost entirely away from himself. He spoke briefly of his time at UA, and working for various agencies and teams, but mostly he described their respective environments or the work itself, not how he took to them. Not surprisingly, Inko was most interested in his time at UA. Even though Shinso's exposure to Izuku's class had been limited, he still had a better idea of the things they'd gone through than Inko ever had, and of course Izuku never had told her everything.

At some point, Inko recognized that she had learned very little about Shinso, but he clearly wasn't ready to open up yet. She believed that would come, in time. Eri had been the same way with her, at first. But once they'd shared a good cry or two, Eri proved just as warm and eager as anyone else hoping to be part of something.

It was only when they started to clean up that things took a strange turn.

"There's something I've been wondering," Shinso murmured as he carefully dried the dishes. "What was it about Ochaco that you didn't approve of?"

Inko stared at him in shock. "What do you mean? Ochaco is a lovely girl, and I've always thought so!"

"I was under the impression that you had some objection to her former relationship with Izuku?"

" _My_ only objection was that they ended it, and no one would give me a clear answer as to why! They both said it was a work-related issue, and since there was no moving past it, that they agreed to disagree on it. But it was big enough where Ochaco left the team entirely. I didn't want to blame either one of them, but Izuku just seemed so convinced that it was his fault. I hoped they would find their way back to each other, but once I saw how Eijiro looked at Ochaco, I knew Izuku had lost her for good. At this point, I'm just glad they were all able to remain friendly."

"So," Shinso said slowly. "Do you approve of Tsuyu?"

Inko sighed. "Yes. But I also approved of Ochaco. And I think I'm starting to see the same signs again. I don't know what Izuku is doing that these girls can't or won't accept, but I'm afraid it's going to drive Tsuyu away, as well." She paused. "I don't suppose you know?"

"Your son and I were never close. I don't think I am someone he would take into confidence about something like this. However, I do not wish to see him sabotage his own life. If I find myself in a position to address the situation directly, I will do so. I have always given him my honest opinion, and I will continue to do so. That much, I can promise you, Inko-san."

Inko smiled in relief. "Thank you."

Shinso did not smile, but she hadn't really expected him to. He did nod before turning away, though, so she had to be satisfied with that.

* * *

Eri had lost the first family she belonged to. The how was not as important as the fact that they had not been very good people. In fact, the treatment she had endured at their hands might have left any other girl with the idea that being part of a family was to be avoided at all costs.

But Eri had been fortunate, to eventually meet good people who showed her that a proper family was nothing like the one she'd been raised in. So instead of fearing family, she had clung to the idea that a true family was something to be desired and cherished. And also, that losing it was one of the worst things that could ever happen to a person.

Izuku was not just family. He was the center of her family. Without him, the family would collapse. He could not be lost. The family had to live on, no matter the cost.

Much as she didn't like to think about her previous family, Eri had to admit that they were similar to her current family in one important way. Her blood relatives had all but abandoned her, and left her in the "care" of extended family. Likewise, it was not Deku Force that Eri needed now, but her extended family, who specialized in just what was called for at the moment.

So Eri made her excuses to Mina, slipped into bathroom, and quickly wrote a note: thanking everyone, assuring them that she was fine, and promising to return with Izuku. Then she stepped into the glowing wormhole beside her, and dropped onto a mattress an instant later.

Soft but cool hands grasped Eri's shoulders and pulled her upright. "How are you feeling, Eri-chan?" a concerned voice asked.

"I'll feel better when Izuku is back, Rei-san," Eri said.

"I think most of us here feel that way."

Eri stared up at the woman. More than once, they had been mistaken for mother and child, due to them both having long, white hair. And if it had been true, Eri wouldn't have hated it. Even if Rei had been her mother, they would each still each have a tragic past filled with abuse. Perhaps they would have clung to each other even more, and perhaps not. But their respective pasts allowed them to be kind to each other now, and that was enough for them both.

"Ahaha! Another successful transport for my ultra-cute baby, Corey-chan!" said a new voice, and both females braced for impact as a third bounced up to them, no doubt aided somewhat by the thick, humming boots on her feet. She peered at them eagerly, as always, through a pair of thick goggles.

"Too loud, Hatsume," complained the first male that appeared, tugging at his messy, golden hair. "And I don't like how you say that, as if you were expecting the transport to fail and cut Eri in half or something."

Hatsume turned on him at once and stuck a finger in his face. "Take that back! Corey-chan has never failed us!"

"I think you mean that this version hasn't failed us. Yet."

Their conversation dissolved into the familiar good-natured bickering, which was essentially just the background music in this place. The group's focus shifted to the final man, who immediately walked over to Eri. Though his appearance was thin, and somewhat unsettling, it didn't bother Eri in the least when he knelt down to embrace her tenderly.

"Eri-chan," he murmured into her hair.

"Oji-san," she said, clinging to his neck.

"I know what you are feeling. I can see it in your eyes. You have every right to be worried. But I cannot allow that to continue. Why?" He drew back slightly, gazing at her steadily with glowing blue eyes. "Because we are here."

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 _Title: Major Hazard, the Walking Plague_  
 _Quirk: None_  
 _Trait: Quirk-Less_

 _Eri has restored his health, but he will never be the Symbol of Peace again. Yet in the absence of his lost Quirk, his undying will has manifested in a mysterious way._

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Eri nodded and looked at the others expectantly.

"We can leave at any time, Toshinori-san! Corey-chan is already locked onto Izuku's last location!" Hatsume hefted a metal box over her head. It instantly began to whine, and what looked like a giant, green, ghostly worm emerged from the box, bearing a set of very sharp teeth.

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 _Title: Mama Mechanica, the Patent Fiend_  
 _Quirk: ZOOM_  
 _Trait: Tinker_

 _A proud mother whose mechanical babies are still revolutionizing hero work! Her latest bundle of joy: Corey, the Hole-Worm Generator!_

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Eri looked to the white-haired woman next. "What about you?"

The woman nodded. "Izuku was there for my son at a time when no one else could reach him. I want to return that favor, if I can."

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 _Title: Frosty, the Walking Winter_  
 _Quirk: ICEBOX_  
 _Trait: Zero Temp_

 _Beneath her calm exterior lies an enormous, undefeated power. Only those who have glimpsed and embraced the true nature of her heart can hope to stand against her._

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"And you?" Eri asked, looking to the golden-haired man.

He shrugged. "If everyone else is in, guess I am, too.

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 _Title: Sinferno, the Hellfire Human_  
 _Quirk: Pyro-Person_  
 _Trait: High Temp_

 _His body transforms into living flames. Tests have confirmed that he has Todoroki blood, but no living Todoroki's DNA has proven a close enough match to say definitively that he originated from them. However, his Trait is proof enough of his origin. Also, to date, he is one of only two flame-users who can melt Rei's thickest ice._

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"Then we are agreed," Toshinori said. "Our mission is to bring Izuku home, safe and sound. We can only imagine what dangers await us, but there is one thing we know for sure: his last known location was Blightgate Prison. We now have reason to believe that it is not as Quirkless as its reputation suggests."

"Oh, I can't wait!" Hatsume gushed. "My babies are just dying to see their Papa again!"

Everyone present knew that Izuku was Hatsume's preferred guinea pig when it came to her inventions, so much so that she had given him the questionable distinction of being the "father" of her babies. Anyone who hadn't known Hatsume for years would have immediately misunderstood, of course.

"We're going to save Izuku, no matter what. And if Blightgate isn't Quirkless already, it will be when we're done," Eri swore.

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 _Title: Eraserhead II, the Anti-Quirk Girl_  
 _Affiliation: QSF (a.k.a. Quirk Suppression Force, a.k.a. Loss Prevention Squad)_  
 _Quirk: "Blank Shot"_  
 _Trait: Cell Blood_

 _In her bloodstream dwells the power to shut down any Quirk. Formerly used against her will, now this ability is meant only to stop those who would use their Quirks for evil deeds._

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* * *

The one thing Hitomi hated, more than anything else, was not being in control. Control was her specialty. When she was in control, everything made sense and happened the way she wanted it to.

She had never been able to control Himiko. It was due to a combination of Hitomi's unwillingness to force her beloved older sister to do anything, and Himiko's mild resistance to most light-based Quirks. Hikaru was just as helpless: one smile from Himiko would erase his will entirely.

So when someone had been able to control Himiko, Hitomi had hoped that it would be a good thing. Himiko was prone to impulsive, violent outbursts at some of the worst possible times, so reducing those had seemed like a good idea, at first. But Hitomi now realized that Himiko being under control was not her natural state. She was happy, or looked it and said she was, but Himiko saw her sister doing things that were completely outside her nature now.

Always, when Himiko spoke of being in love before, she had referred to a process by which she eventually murdered and became the person, temporarily. But it wasn't like that with Izuku. She actually seemed to be genuinely obsessed with him being her plaything, with no end date in sight. And the worst part was, Hitomi wasn't sure if Himiko had decided that on her own, or if she'd been made to think that way by someone else. They all had the serve the Light, and it was possible, even likely, that Himiko's fixation on Izuku had been directed or encouraged. But no one had ever been able to alter Himiko's process, only slow it down, and only so much. But it was different with Izuku.

Which made the current situation even worse.

Izuku had come with the intent to end his visits. Predictably, Himiko had wanted to prevent that at all costs, and attacked him. A bit too violently, all things considered, but Izuku had survived worse, and they had gotten him medical treatment immediately. Still, when Hitomi threw open the cell door, and saw Himiko lovingly cradling Izuku in her arms, she could not shake her first thought.

"She'll be so sad if he dies."

Himiko was never sad when the objects of her love died. Oh, she would mourn, but in a way that more closely resembled orgasmic ecstasy, complete with awkward touching and noises best left to the imagination. But there had been genuine tears in Himiko's eyes when Hikaru finally managed to drag her away from Izuku's limp body. Thankfully, that limpness was due mostly to Hitomi's influence: Izuku still thought he was effectively Quirkless within Blightgate, as nearly all visitors did. Only those loyal to IllumiNation were aware of the truth.

Himiko had overreacted to the thought of Izuku leaving her. If she had meant to kill him, then she would have killed him, and then lost interest in his body seconds after his pulse stopped. Instead, she had only seriously wounded him, and then showed concern for his survival. She could have easily finished tearing Izuku's throat open, in the time it took Hitomi to reach them. But she hadn't.

Irregular as all that was, Hitomi knew the standard protocol for whenever Himiko went overboard. Hikaru had already requested a cleanup crew. Memories would be erased, mouths would be silenced. Himiko probably wouldn't even know who Izuku was by tomorrow morning. And maybe that was for the best. She had clearly gotten too close. But that also meant that the three siblings would likely be reassigned. Hitomi viewed that as a good thing, but she knew the only way Himiko would... was if she had no memory of the fact that she was really supposed to hate it.

It would be better this way.

And yet, when Hitomi looked up to find Wipe approaching Himiko's cell, it was impossible to ignore the dread she felt.

"I am finished with Midoriya," Wipe explained. "You should stress to your brother: Midoriya is to be returned unharmed. Failure to comply with that order would be a huge mistake."

"Understood," Hitomi murmured. "I guess you'll need to see my sister now."

"Do not worry. Your sister is a valuable asset. I always take extra care not to damage her memories."

"I know. That's not what I'm concerned about, not really. Just... no, forget it." Hitomi opened the cell. "Please prepare yourself, she might be a little upset."

"That is to be expect-" Wipe began to say, then paused.

Himiko was sitting calmly on her bed, humming to herself. She turned to door, a bright smile on her face. But with an almost audible thunk, her gaze landed on Wipe, and the blood drained from her face.

Wipe had been expecting that Himiko's bad reaction might be due to the current circumstances. What she hadn't expected was that Himiko might react badly to Wipe herself. But that was clearly what was happening, and it was bad for two reasons.

The first that was that Wipe was very careful to suppress any past memories of herself in her targets. Himiko shouldn't have had any reaction to her at all.

The second was that Himiko clearly knew why Wipe was there, which was only going to make this more difficult.

"Calm down, onee-chan," Hitomi said in a soothing tone. "Wipe is only here because-"

"Don't let her, Hitomi!" Himiko shrieked, wrapping her arms over her head. "Don't let her take Izuku away from me!"

"I would never let that happen," Hitomi assured her with a smile. "But even if it did, I'm sure it wouldn't matter. The strength of your love for Izuku is second to none, right?"

Himiko smiled hesitantly. "T-That's right," she murmured. "Even if she made me forget, I'd still remember him!"

"Of course you would. And that's not why Wipe is here, anyway. Save Point is being moved, and there can't be any record of him being here."

"Oh. That makes sense." Himiko grinned weakly. "Guess I was silly to worry."

"You are never silly," Hitomi said firmly, squeezing Himiko's hands. "But you don't have to worry. Hikaru and I will always look out for you. Just relax and let Wipe do her job. I'll be here with you the whole time, okay?"

"It won't take long, Himiko-san," Wipe promised. "From what your sister tells me, you have had very little interaction with Save Point, so this should be over very soon."

"Right," Himiko said softly, glancing between them. "Don't know what I was worried about!"

* * *

Katsuki was pacing outside the bedroom where his wife and her friends were sleeping when he first heard the voice in his head.

"I know you can hear me, Katsuki. And no, you aren't dreaming or hallucinating. I am actually talking to you, right now."

Katsuki knew that voice, still heard it in his nightmares. "All for One. What the hell do you want? How are you doing this?"

"Let us just say that Tartarus still hasn't come up with a complete list of my Quirks, and leave it at that. As for what I want? No, dear boy. This is about what you want and need. You need to know why these people are after your family, don't you?"

"Was it you?!" Katsuki demanded.

"No, no. I have no reason to do such a thing, or have such a thing done. If I wanted you, I would come for you in person. But I am familiar with those who did this. Who they are is unimportant. Why they want your family is important. You are extremely blessed, Katsuki. Such a powerful and versatile Quirk. And you have passed that talent on to the next generation. Do you understand? They want your child's Quirk."

"Don't be stupid, the baby is barely more than an idea at this point!"

"But it is more, and that's all it takes. You are exceptional, and so is your child. They want that baby. And if you are unable to protect it, you may end up just like my own student: with your family completely gone, and a newfound hatred for all of the heroes who failed to save you. Wouldn't that be something?"

Katsuki smirked. "That would never happen to me. I'm not weak like he was. I don't wait for a hero to show up and save me, I save myself! I'll be my own hero! And if I fail, it's no one's fault but mine! I bet Shigaraki was never smart enough to say, 'The heroes didn't save my family, but you didn't either, you creepy faceless bastard!' And if he's that stupid, either you're not much of a teacher, or you just like keeping your student dumb enough where he's easy to control."

There was a long silence. Katsuki started to think that All for One had cut the connection. But then:

"Well said, Katsuki. He never did ask that question. I never gave him reason to. And if he had asked, I would have lied, of course. I knew exactly who he and his family were, and I kept a close eye on them. I don't mind telling you this, because he'd never believe it, coming from you. But I have no more time. Consider this a friendly warning, as well as a sneak-peek. You're welcome."

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 _Baby Bakugo_  
 _Quirk: IGNITION_

 _...data incomplete..._  
 _...can ignite targets remotely via unknown means..._

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"Always remember, Katsuki. I could have turned you into Shigaraki, if I wanted to. Always remember that I didn't have to tell you any of this. So perhaps the next time we talk, you'd be wise to keep that in mind."

"I didn't ask for your help and I don't owe you a thing," Katsuki spat.

"True enough. Maybe I will pose that question to your child, one day. I wonder if they will see things the same way that you do..."

"No way in hell," Katsuki growled. He stomped into the kitchen, where his mother was making a fresh pot of coffee.

"Katsuki, do you-?" she began to ask.

"No time!" he snapped. "Going out!"

Mitsuki blinked and began to swell up, the infamous Bakugo temper about to explode from her. But then she noticed the look in her son's eyes, and deflated as he walked out of the house. Best to leave him alone, she knew. Whoever he did decide to unleash his temper on, she almost felt sorry for them.

 **End of Chapter 4.**

* * *

 **Continued in Chapter 5: The Broken Family**

Eri isn't the best judge of a family's quality. All she cares about is that hers works, and it stays together... no matter who it has to run over in the process.

* * *

 **Endnotes:**

Not much to say this time around. More on the QSF and Traits next time.

Taking some artistic license with what I think Rei's Quirk is, or may be now.

Sinferno is not Dabi. I did consider it briefly, though.

Wipe's intro card has been purposely delayed.


	5. Secret Origins

Notes: This "chapter" will offer some backstory on various characters, as well as some peeks into the future.

* * *

 **Imprisoners**  
 **A My Hero Academia Fanfic by**  
 **Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**  
 **Chapter 4b: Secret Origins**

* * *

 _Toshinori Yagi_  
 _Title: Major Hazard, the Walking Plague (formerly All Might)_  
 _Quirk: None_  
 _Trait: Quirk-Less_

 _Notes: Even once restored, Toshinori stressed that he both could not and would not reclaim the mantle of All Might. Instead, he felt he would be more effective under a new identity, working behind the scenes, while allowing new heroes to rise and take their rightful place in the world. He has said more than once that his greatest fear is that the world depended too much on All Might. Worse, he firmly believes that the world has the power to function without All Might, but that most people don't realize it yet._

* * *

"A-Amazing," Toshinori murmured, slowly passing his hand over his unmarked rib-cage. "You've completely restored my body to the way it was before I was injured."

Eri shrugged. "It wasn't hard, since Izuku had so many shirtless pictures of you, for some reason..."

He opened his mouth to tell her how many doctors and healing Quirks had failed to repair the damage done by All for One, and then stopped himself. This wasn't healing. Izuku had stressed that, over and over again, when the idea was first proposed, and he would know best. Theoretically, Eri could just keep undoing damage to a person. But nobody, and no body, was immortal. At some point, the constant cell rearrangement had to reach its limits. And just because Eri had taken away the scar, it didn't mean everything was as it had been back then.

Toshinori bowed to the girl. "Thank you, Eri-chan. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

Eri reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I don't want to be repaid. This is a favor for Izuku, and I'd do anything for him. I knew this would make him really happy, so I did it. Even if you can't be All Might anymore, you deserve to have your old body back."

Toshinori carefully embraced Eri. "Still, if you ever need me, I am here."

Eri smiled and pressed her lips to his ear. "Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered.

"Of course."

"Your Quirk doesn't work the way you think it does."

Toshinori froze and drew back to stare at her. "What do you mean?"

Eri shushed him and pulled his head back towards her, placing her lips next to his ear again. "Just listen, okay? And never tell anyone!"

* * *

 _Rei Todoroki_  
 _Title: Frosty, the Walking Winter_  
 _Quirk: Icebox_  
 _Trait: Zero Temp_

 _Notes: As with Toshinori, Rei credits Eri with restoring her to a state where she could do the most good. Although, if Eri's Quirk was involved, it was not something she did consciously._

* * *

The first time that Eri wandered into Rei Todoroki's hospital room, they genuinely ended up talking about the weather for almost an hour. Eri's chances to go outside had been very limited until recently, and if she had ever seen snow, she simply didn't remember it. Even Rei was not that deprived, and she did know a lot about weather.

Technically, they shouldn't have met, at least not in Rei's room.

It was a little-known fact that Rei actually could leave anytime she wanted, so long as she notified her doctor first. But the truth was that she had little desire to go anywhere. At this point, only the sight of her husband's face was still assured to trigger a bad reaction. She had gradually been exposed to lesser but similar stimuli, such as fire or large amounts of orange, with little to no ill effects. And yet, there was always the chance that something seemingly unrelated could spark a bad memory, which could trigger an episode. It was safer for all if that happened within a facility equipped to handle such a thing, rather than on the street or in a crowded public place.

Eri, on the other hand, had weekly appointments with a therapist who reviewed her activities, prescribed hobbies and relaxation techniques, and observed her for any signs of increased negative stress. Which was very similar to the treatment that Rei received from time to time. And while Eri wasn't supposed to just walk around the hospital unattended, and Rei's room was supposed to be restricted access only, neither of thse things were truly enforced for the very same reason: there was no real need to. Only Rei's family ever bothered to visit her, and Eri was more likely to get distressed by sitting alone quietly than she was by walking around and meeting people.

When Eri's minder finally caught up, there was much finger-shaking and accusation of naughtiness, even though Rei swore that Eri hadn't been a bother, and was welcome to visit again anytime.

And Eri, who was normally slow to trust and slightly nervous around most people, climbed into Rei's lap, wrapped her arms around Rei's neck, and gently kissed Rei's cheek before leaving. Rei burst into tears only after Eri was gone, because she could not clearly recall the last time one of own children had still been small enough to do the same. So much of her focus had been on escaping the memories of her husband's abuse, she had overlooked how much of her precious memories of her children were attached to them.

Eri approached her own past in the exact opposite way. She acknowledged that she had been mistreated, but looked forward to making newer, happier memories. Rei did not even have the excuse of lacking her family's support: all of her children were always willing to talk to her. Shoto had only stayed away because he thought his appearance might hinder her progress. Once she assured him that wasn't true, he became her most frequent visitor, wrote to her twice a week if time allowed, and even got her a smartphone against her husband's wishes. What Endeavor feared, she wasn't sure: her children were the only ones who called, and the games gave her a way to pass the time.

By far the greater threat to Endeavor's control was their daughter-in-law Momo, who seemed to view Rei's separation from the family as a personal affront, largely because that made it more difficult for Momo to win Rei's blessing. In point of fact, Rei was satisfied the moment Shoto said that Momo made him happy, but Momo wasn't happy until Rei's room had been altered precisely to Rei's preferences, which was not so much costly as it was time-consuming: Rei was so used to not having a choice, that it took a while to remember what she liked. But Momo was both patient and determined, and was soon calling Rei more than any of Rei's naturally-born children ever had. Rei could not find it in her to be annoyed, because Momo was willing to steamroll anyone, including Endeavor, to make Rei happy. Which was not so much necessary as it was fun for everyone but Endeavor to witness.

* * *

 _Alias: Experiment 315_  
 _Title: Sinferno, the Hellfire Human_  
 _Quirk: Pyro-Person_  
 _Trait: High Temp_

 _Notes: To date, Sinferno has refused to take a public name. He insists that it is something that requires a great deal of thought, if he is to commit to it for the rest of his life. Curiously, he asked Rei to give him one, but she replied that it should be his own choice, especially if he cannot trust the person who gave him life to give him one._

* * *

315.

It wasn't a name, but it was what they called him. Throughout the testing, they never called him anything else. Even the family name of his primary genetic donor, which he had to find on his own, was kept from him. As if it were some precious treasure, and that made him hunger for it.

But as was so often the case for him, the truth was not worth the effort put into the search.

He would have been better off, playing the role of the lab rat for the rest of his days. If he had never questioned who he was, why he was, where he was, the world would be mysterious, but stable.

But he had been labeled defective, a failed product. And he'd wanted, needed to know, what the fault was, and who decided it should define, or undefine, his entire existence. He had done everything asked of him, been the good little soldier, the faithful puppet. Why should death be his reward? Who had the power to command such a fate?

The answer: Endeavor.

In pursuit of a perfect scion, he had tried multiple paths, including cloning. But anything that did not meet or exceed his expectations was deemed worthless, and anything without value was to be consumed by fire.

But there was no fire in existence that could consume 315. At least, none that Endeavor commanded.

It had taken a while, for 315 to realize that the nature of the tests had changed, that the goal had shifted from his growth to his demise. Even once he knew, he was not angry. Disappointed, more than anything, that not one of the scientists saw his value, that they all blindly followed Endeavor's order to destroy him.

So he left. They tried to stop him. Endeavor himself tried to stop him.

315 had the perfect weapon prepared. "I'll tell everyone what I am. How I was made. But I'll leave just enough holes in the story for them to wonder what else you've been up to."

And Endeavor laughed. "My reputation as a hero versus your half-truths, then. We'll see which wins."

315 found out very quickly, why Endeavor laughed, and beyond that, why Endeavor became a hero. All of Endeavor's sins were swallowed up by the vast sea that was his hero work. People did care what kind of person he was, but they cared more that his good deeds far outweighed his bad points. And in any case, they weren't about to believe the words of a nobody. They didn't even care about Endeavor's abused wife and neglected children. Such minor things were acceptable for the top hero in Japan, apparently.

After a while, 315 stopped trying. He understood that the world was corrupt. Not hopelessly so, but enough where a man like Endeavor could flourish, without fear of punishment for his crimes. In such a world, 315 could not defeat or even match him. The word "hero" was meaningless, if that was how the world saw Endeavor, and that was not what 315 wished to be. Nor was he a "villain" that would oppose heroes. All he desired was a place to call his own, where he was free to exist without fear of being erased.

And then the man who used to be All Might approached him, offering a job that included a small apartment and a large enough income to live comfortably. 315's only condition: "I won't be a hero."

"I understand," Toshinori said. "Do you think you could be a son to a woman who isn't really your mother?"

Intrigued by the wording, 315 asked to know more. The job was not to be Rei's companion, as 315 first thought. Rather, it was to teach him other ways of using his Quirk, and to expose Rei to someone who was both like and completely unlike her husband. 315 would never even think of raising a hand against Rei, who showed him only kindness, despite having no real reason to.

* * *

"It's a perfect fit!" Hatsume gushed, clapping her hands.

"It should be, you groped me for ten minutes straight to get my measurements for this damned skintight suit," Sinferno grumbled.

"Quiet! All is allowed in the name of invention and science!"

"Sounds like every mad scientist's motto to me."

"You complain, but it does look good on you," Rei commented. "It's easy to see how much work was put into this. You should be thanking her."

Sinferno snorted. "Easy for you to say, she got your measurements just by looking at you."

"Sometimes women just know these things," Rei said loftily, exchanging nods with Hatsume.

"And in any case," Hatsume added, "Rei-san's costume has lots of custom insulation materials included, so I had to make sure it was loose-fitting for her comfort."

Sinferno glared at her. "You didn't care about my comfort when you were groping me!"

"You stood there and let me, though. How uncomfortable could you have been?"

Rei giggled behind her hand. "That is a good point."

"What was I supposed to do, hit her?!" Sinferno demanded.

"You could have tried, at least," Hatsume chimed in. "Wouldn't have stopped me, but your protest would have been visually noted. I just remember you grumbling and blushing a lot."

"It's because you're a good man," Rei said, smiling at him.

Sinferno looked away from her shining eyes. "A man?" he asked bitterly. "What's that?"

Her soft, cool hands gently cupped his face and turned it back to hers. "It's what you are. Even if you refuse to see it now. And when you finally decide what that man's name is, I will gladly count him among my sons."

* * *

 _Title: Wipe_  
 _Quirk: Memory Erasure_

* * *

It had not been a choice.

When Liang stood in her kitchen, cradling her son in one arm, while the other pulsed with light that could do anything from illuminate to obliterate, her choice was whatever he said it was. And yet he still framed it as a choice, as if he hadn't known beforehand what her answer would be.

"I find myself in need of certain gifts," he had said. "I will allow you to decide. Either you can share your gift with me. Or your son can share his. Now, choose."

"I'll go with you, if you promise to never touch my family again." She had no power in that situation, but it needed to be said.

And he had smiled, as if she could negotiate with him. "That is agreeable."

* * *

IllumiNation did not tend to work with outside contractors. Their own resources were quite vast, and if someone in another organization was truly useful... they generally ended up a member of IllumiNation. But there were special circumstances, where bringing someone into the fold would either be too disruptive, or if some delicate balance might be upset by the transfer of skill from one entity to another.

Wipe had only been part of IllumiNation for a few months when she was instructed (although in those days, she still thought of it as being forced) to work with someone outside of the organization. Their mission, or at least Wipe's, was to silence a low-level gang member who had seen too much. For anyone else, this might have meant killing him, but in Wipe's case, it meant making sure he had no memory of sensitive information.

Her partner's mission was almost the polar opposite: he was intended to let every other gang member know the consequences of knowing too much, or protecting those who did. Which he demonstrated by melting off their faces.

Few other acts had filled Wipe with such horror and disgust.

Thankfully, it was the only time they worked together. And even though Wipe never spoke of her experience to anyone, word of that villain's exploits and victims, infrequent though they were, soon became the stuff of legend. And though he, too, wore a mask, and as such she could never identify him without seeing his Quirk in action first, Wipe would never forget his all too appropriate name.

Heatrash.

* * *

 _Himiko Toga_  
 _Title: Love Bite_  
 _Quirk: Transform_

* * *

The transfer took all of two minutes.

Deku walked into the building with only one visible companion. They walked out with the curious addition of Himiko Toga, in triple-thick manacles, and with a huge smile on her face. She was oddly calm, and though the authorities insisted that she be further restrained, Deku refused them, and said he would take full responsibility.

This was an odd thing to say, considering that his companion, Chargebolt, could not only easily stun Himiko, but that Deku had brought him along _specifically_ in case that turned out to be necessary. But, he, too, said there was no need, and that he trusted Deku's opinion completely. That statement would be questioned extensively the following month, when Chargebolt would quietly retire from hero work and begin his new career as a Blightgate prison guard. But Chargebolt would only say that it would be stupid not to keep a close eye on Himiko.

And that was another concern: Deku and Chargebolt's insistence on referring to the prisoner by her actual name. It implied that either they had humanized her in their minds, or that she, too, was retired from her previous career. And even if she had, it in no way excused her numerous crimes.

But, between Deku's regular visits, and Chargebolt being on the prison staff, no one could effectively argue that they weren't keeping an eye on Himiko. And certainly no one was about to suggest that Deku change careers. Even his detractors recognized that he was the closest thing to an approved second coming of All Might that the world had, and they didn't want to lose him. Or rather, they couldn't afford to lose him yet.

Only Deku, Chargebolt, and Himiko herself knew that Deku had also taken an unseen companion to oversee the transfer. And only three of the four knew that, aside from the uneasy promise of Deku having to kiss Himiko on the lips to secure her surrender, the larger reason for Himiko's smile was the knowledge that Deku had truthfully walked into that building without a single ally he was able to depend on, and he never even knew it.

* * *

 _Traits_

* * *

The discovery of Traits was something that no one could have predicted. Many had theorized that Quirks were proof of mankind's evolution to a higher stage. If so, then Traits were the stepping stone that allowed the realization of that dream.

Originally, Traits were thought to only be the framework of Quirks, an environment that allowed them to flourish. For example, a man whose Quirk was to turn his hands into metal blades might have a Trait that converted his marrow into metal.

But then came the highly publicized case of Endeavor, who fittingly enough, burned out his own Quirk through intense battles. And yet, while he was clearly Quirkless, his Trait still allowed him to endure extreme heat, and only the bitterest of cold temperatures truly bothered him. Even stranger, when he came into physical contact with others who wielded fire-based Quirks, he could, for very brief intervals, access his Quirk once more.

The latter soon shone light on a more startling realization: there were those who had lost or weakened their Quirks to the point where they would not function, which had kicked their Traits into overdrive. In many cases, the Trait resembled a revitalization of the Quirk. But in others, the Trait proved even more powerful than the original Quirk, or so entirely different from the Quirk that it was like discovering a completely separate superpower. For just as there were some Quirks which did not suit the owner's body, there were some Quirks and Traits that also did not seem to suit each other at all.

* * *

 _Yuri Takeyama_  
 _Title: CollasaLady_  
 _Quirk: Gigantification_  
 _Notes: Daughter of Mount Lady and unknown father_

* * *

Though he was bloody, bruised, exhausted, and likely moments away from falling flat on his face, Deku dragged himself out of the truck and shuffled toward the two men waiting outside of the forest.

"You always look like you just lost a fight whenever I see you," Kamui Woods commented, shaking Deku's hand. "Thanks for coming."

"You should see the other guy," Deku joked, before turning to his mentor and nodding.

Toshinori returned the nod. "We wouldn't have asked, but you may be the only one who can diffuse the situation immediately."

"You were vague on the details, purposely I assume. So what exactly are we dealing with?"

Toshinori glanced at Kamui, who nodded. "Well, this is awkward to ask, but I assume you're aware that Mount Lady has a young daughter named Yuri?"

Deku blushed slightly. "Um, yes. It was quite the scandal, since she never revealed who the father was, and many eager men tried to take credit."

"Of greater importance is that Yuri exists, and has inherited her mother's Quirk. Mount Lady only recently resumed full-time hero work, and Yuri is having some trouble adjusting."

"She ran away," Kamui translated.

"Oh no!" Deku gasped, but Toshinori waved off his concern.

"Calm down, we know exactly where Yuri is, so that's not the issue. As I said, she has her mother's Quirk. That _is_ the issue. We don't want to force Yuri to go home, so we need someone to convince her. The father is unavailable. Mount Lady is on her way, but it may be several hours before she gets here, so she requested that we ask you. We need this resolved as quickly as possible."

"And... you want _me_ to talk to Yuri?" Deku asked in surprise. He still wasn't sure why they needed him, specifically.

"It turns out she's a huge fan of yours. No pun intended."

Deku relaxed, somewhat. "Oh. Well, I'm happy to help if I can."

Toshinori coughed slightly. "Mount Lady also stressed that there's an autographed poster of her in it for you, if you can get Yuri to go home."

Deku blushed. "I... well, that's... _lovely_ , but... erm. I should get started, I guess."

Kamui jerked his thumb back at the forest. "She's in there, can't miss her."

Deku nodded, stepped inside, and stared.

There was an enormous blonde girl staring down at him with huge, bright blue eyes. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, and the expression on her rather large face suggested that she was both aware of how to use her Quirk, and knew that it prevented people from pushing her around, in every sense of the phrase.

Deku cleared his throat. "Um. Hi, Yuri-chan."

Yuri blinked, but said nothing.

"I guess you probably know who I am. I want to let you know that everything is okay. I don't know why you left home, and you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. The important thing is that you're safe, and your mom is on her way, so-"

"Oh no! I didn't want that!" Yuri wailed.

"Eh?" Deku asked.

"She's doing important work! I don't want to get in the way! I just wanted to get away from that dumb babysitter!"

Deku thought for a moment. "I don't know that I'm exactly qualified, but I wouldn't mind waiting with you until your mother comes. Then maybe you two can talk about this."

"You'd really wait with me? Even though you're all beat up?" Yuri asked.

"People like your mother are the reason I wanted to be a hero, Yuri-chan. And real heroes help each other. All that aside, I can't turn my back on a fan who needs help. But, if you don't mind, I think I could help you a lot more if we weren't in this forest."

Yuri shrugged. "I told Uncle Kamui that he didn't need to make a forest around me, but he said it was important to hide me if I wasn't going back to normal size. And I didn't want to. I feel safer this way."

"I can understand that," Deku said. "So, can we get you home now?"

Yuri paused. "Only if you promise me a lifetime membership in your official fan club," she said, firmly.

Deku smiled. "I'm sure that can be arranged."

"And... maybe you can get my dad to call home a little more often?"

Deku hesitated. "I'd like to help, but I don't actually know who your father is."

Yuri frowned. "But he told me that you two were in the same class at UA."

Deku's eyes widened in shock. No wonder Mount Lady had hidden the identity of Yuri's father, if he was Deku's age. It was still too large a list to truly narrow down presently, but just the potential suspects made Deku's head spin. As of yet, he didn't see any obvious physical similarities between Yuri and her father (and at her current size, they should have been hard to miss), but no doubt that had helped Mount Lady keep the father's identity a secret. And even if Deku had known, he would have felt duty-bound to keep the secret as well. He just wondered if Mount Lady would be willing to trust him with it. Though, if it meant her daughter's happiness, Deku suspected he'd been in the know all too soon.

* * *

 _Shadow Titans Hero Agency_  
 _Founders: Yu Takeyama (Mount Lady), Fumikage Tokoyami (Tsukuyomi)_  
 _Members: Yuri Takeyama (CollosaLady), Yugi Takeyama (War Hawk), Yume Takeyama (Giant Gal), Falling Star (Ichiro Kirishima), Deku (Izuku Midoriya)_

* * *

Deku scratched his head nervously as he cleared his throat and faced the trio of students standing before him. "Well, um. I guess I don't need to, but I'll start by introducing myself. I'm Deku. I'm new here at the Shadow Titans agency, and I've been retired for a while, but-"

"But Mom asked you personally to be a trainer here, and you couldn't say no," CollosaLady interrupted, flashing him a younger but no less effective version of her mother's signature sexy grin. "Guys never say no to Mom. Dad couldn't." She gestured to her two younger siblings. "That is why we all exist."

Deku coughed. "Yes, thank you, Yuri-chan."

"Oh, don't call her by her real name. It'll only encourage her," the youngest sister piped up. It was easy to see her mother in her face, and Deku was very glad that the girl was still young enough where he couldn't also see Mount Lady in the rest of her body. The same, awkwardly for him, no longer applied to Yuri. And worse, Yuri knew it.

CollosaLady shot a glare at her sister, then turned back to Deku with a sweet smile. "You were saying, Deku?"

Deku chuckled uneasily. "Right. I know you, of course, but I've never actually had the pleasure of meeting your siblings. I think because if I had, I would have known immediately who your father was."

The only brother lowered his head, which was black, feathered, and so much like his father's that Deku still half-expected to see Dark Shadow rising up behind the boy. At once, the little sister reached over and rubbed the boy's arm soothingly. Even CollosaLady, strangely quiet for once, shifted closer to him, radiating comfort and over-protectiveness.

Deku knew at once he'd made the right choice joining up with this agency. They were a tight-knit family, though also in the biological sense, this time.

"I am Yugi," the boy said. "I have taken the hero name War Hawk, and my Quirk is known as Wake of the Giant." To demonstrate, he gestured faintly at the nearest wall, which instantly blew outwards from the force of a tremendous, unseen blow.

Deku stared with wide eyes. "Um... is the giant invisible, or-?"

"No. I am the giant, or at least I have access to the strength of one. I am unable to alter my size, however. Only Yuri directly inherited mother's gift."

"Oh." Deku blinked, looking puzzled as he turned to the younger sister. "But then, I heard you were called Giant Gal, so why-?"

His question was answered as the shadow of an enormous clawed hand rose from her feet, wrapped around her body, and lifted her ten feet into the air.

"This is my Shadow Giant Zoo," Giant Gal announced. "And I'm Yume."

"It's nice to meet you all, finally," Deku said with a smile. "Well, time to get started. First things first, we fix that wall. Otherwise, I think it might be deducted from my first paycheck."

"You guys are fixing stuff?" a new voice asked. "I must have missed the fun part where it all got broken."

They all turned to the doorway, and Deku was unable to contain his shock at the sight of the new arrival: a solidly-built young man with a large grin. "You...?"

"Omigosh, it's Falling Star!" Giant Gal squealed.

"Hey, always great to meet a new fan," Falling Star said as he strode in confidently, winking at her. "I heard you guys got the best trainer out there, and I wanted in. So where do I sign up?"

Deku hesitated before offering his hand, which Falling Star immediately shook with a firm grip. "But I thought-"

"If I did everything my parents told me, I wouldn't be half the hero I am now," Falling Star interrupted. "I heard it was the same for you. Right, old man?"

Deku frowned. He had never cared for that nickname. At least, not coming from Falling Star. It implied too much. "That's true, but-"

"You said you'd train me. Mom didn't tell me much, but she did tell me that. Was it a lie?"

"No," Deku said. "It wasn't a lie. I'm happy you came to me, truly. But your parents were and are my good friends. I don't want this to change that."

"You leave them to me. This is my dream and my life. I'm not gonna let you croak on me before you get a chance to keep your promise. Anyway, I hear you've got a wife and six boys that wouldn't like it much if you died."

"Yeah, tell us about the Mighty Midoriyas!" Giant Gal said eagerly. "I heard they saved the world ten times!"

"I was there for one of those times, and technically it was the universe," CollosaLady added. "And it wasn't just them. Mom and Dad helped, too. I'm pretty sure Yugi was the result of the celebration that followed that victory."

Falling Star grinned hugely. "If you've got more stories like that, this is the perfect agency for me!"

Deku groaned as the siblings crowded around Falling Star, welcoming him to the team. He had not felt so overwhelmed since Tsuyu had shown him the six jelly-coated, fist-sized eggs that would eventually become their sons. Although he still maintained that if she had housed them anywhere but the bathtub, he wouldn't have felt quite so alarmed. And the only thing more awkward than knowing they were in there, was Eri temporarily sleeping next to the bathtub, so they wouldn't be alone. Even now, the very sound of Eri's voice had an unusual calming effect on them, which Tsuyu insisted had been born in that early stage of development. Deku felt it was better not to question her on that, since Tsuyu had spared him both the details and the sight of how she'd actually given birth. And since all of the boys rapidly developed frog-based abilities and superhuman strength, Deku never had any reason to question that he was their father.

And, if he were being honest with himself, he also never had the right.

* * *

 **Endnotes:**

Haven't decided what I will do about Himiko's newly revealed powers just yet. But I'm keeping an open mind. In part because they were expanded, rather than restricted.

I know, I know: Heatrash is probably too obvious.

I just... really don't think Tsuyu would have kids the human way. Sorry. This way is more interesting. Right...? But I had to draw the line at fertilization occurring outside of the body. The bathtub imagery was already weird enough without Izuku... doing that in the tub. Ah, yes, and here's a free cup of bleach. You can either throw it in your eyes or attempt to clean up the tub with it.

You can blame yet another TMNT remake for inspiring the Mighty Midoriyas. Can't believe so many series from when I was a kid have survived and revived through remakes. It's insane. Particularly when the remakes simply don't impress me. Not complaining, just still in shock over it. Although I have to say, I was very surprised that people took issue with an April O'Neil of color. And hey, I'll admit that caught me off guard, too. But I'm less concerned that she's dark-skinned, and more concerned that she apparently absorbed Irma in the womb. That, I can't get past. I still haven't recovered from the last Irma injustice. "Why, in my day, April and Irma used to be separate, flesh and blood people!"


	6. The Broken Family

Notes: This chapter was running long (and taking forever to finish, with my current work schedule), so I decided to split it up.

* * *

 **Imprisoners**  
 **A My Hero Academia Fanfic by**  
 **Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**  
 **Chapter 5: The Broken Family**

* * *

A cornered animal will suddenly display surprising strength and ferocity, born out of desperation and and fear of imminent death.

It is much the same, for a person who has lost someone precious, and does not wish to repeat the experience. Virtually any other result is preferable. Virtually anything is allowed, to prevent that loss. Virtually any crime becomes reasonable, for one's greatest good.

The Symbol of Peace is dead. And everyone turns to themselves, to find their own personal Symbol. Their answers are not always Just or Right. But they are enough, to get one more soul through one more day.

* * *

It was a bar, and it served alcohol, but other than that, Katsuki couldn't imagine any other reason why he might ever come to such a greasy hole in the wall, other than plans to demolish it. He had just finished his third glass of whiskey when a long, thin arm slid around his shoulders, and someone with fairly bad breath leaned way too far into his personal space.

"Long time no see, Bakugo. Sensei said I should expect a visit from you."

Katsuki put down his glass and mightily suppressed the urge to roughly shrug the person off. "I hear there's a big job going down soon. Nice payoff. I want in. He knows the details."

"Sure, sure. Sensei told me all about it. You know my door's always open to you, since we're old friends. And hey, welcome back. Maybe you've finally come to accept-"

"He's got something I want," Katsuki interrupted. "End of story. We aren't friends. Last job I ever do for either of you."

"You said that last time. Hey, any chance I can be godfather?"

Two burning red gazes slowly locked.

"Relax, Bakugo. I was joking, mostly."

Katsuki grunted. "You never were funny."

"Ouch." A hand was extended to shake. "So. One more job."

Katsuki grabbed the wrist roughly instead. "One last job, you hand-covered bastard. And if you ever try to shake my hand again, I'm keeping your real one as a souvenir."

Tomura Shigaraki grinned manically. "Cool beans."

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Tomura Shigaraki  
Alignment: Villain  
Title: Five-Fingered Doom, Deathgrip  
Affiliation: League of Villains  
Quirk: DECAY

The youthful, scarred face of pure evil! He wields empty hands that threaten to reduce the world to ashes!

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* * *

The Blightgate Prison perimeter guards were already on high-alert. They were only told that there had been an incident, and that no one was to be allowed in or out without permission from the warden directly. Even that was not so unusual: the warden always had final say, and total lockdowns tended to be frequent and unannounced.

When the white-haired woman in the matching winter coat walked out of the darkness, smiling serenely, not even a single guard was tempted to treat her as a non-threat.

"Halt!" one of the guards shouted. "State your name and-!"

The woman pursed her lips, and blew gently.

It was over almost instantly. The guards didn't even have time to shout as they were frozen alive in blocks of thick ice.

"Sorry. Once I'm done, I promise I'll let you all go." The woman turned her eyes to the gate, and made a cupping motion with her hands, visualizing what she wanted.

Just over a minute later, every part of Blightgate Prison that was above ground, was hidden within a thick block of ice.

Smiling, the woman tapped the radio concealed in her ear muffs. "This is Q3. The block is up."

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Rei Todoroki  
Title: Frosty, the Walking Winter  
Codename: Q3  
Quirk: ICEBOX - High-yield ice production and manipulation, specializing in rectangular constructs.  
Trait: Zero Temp - Body can endure extremely low temperatures for prolonged periods without suffering major ill effect. WARNING: Extended exposure results in loss of sensation and emotion, and may trigger psychological defense measures. Monitor with extreme caution.

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* * *

In his defense, he had given them a chance. Perhaps they had still been too alarmed by the wall of ice that suddenly rose in front of them. But still, he had given them a chance.

"If you surrender and put down your weapons, you will not be harmed."

It never seemed to work, really.

The guards fired on him, and Sinferno yawned as the bullets passed harmlessly through his flaming body. Then, with one large sweep of his arm, he incinerated them on the spot. He would probably get in trouble for that, he knew. But as he had said from day one: he was no hero. And in any case, he wasn't and never would be the QSF member with the highest body count, even if he tried. That much he was assured of, from the day that he learned that their codenames doubled as a threat ranking.

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Title: Sinferno, the Hellfire Human  
Codename: Q5  
Quirk: PYRO-PERSON - He can transform his body into living flames, which renders him largely immune to harm.  
Trait: High Temp - Body can endure extreme heat for prolonged periods without suffering major ill effect. Diet regularly includes large quantities of liquids to prevent risk of dehydration.

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* * *

Though she had come from a large family herself, Tsuyu had never understood quite how complicated a family could be. Hers was very straightforward in everything, something she was often told may not have been considered a positive quality in herself. And yet, she preferred it. Her family had few secrets, and none from each other. They knew each other intimately, and it was comfortable, for them, anyway. There were no embarrassing personal problems, or issues that the kids would be afraid to bother their parents with. There was love, all-encompassing and enduring. Possibly because they all knew the pain of being outcasts, and clung to each other even more tightly as a result. It had nearly broken Tsuyu's heart to leave home, but it had been good for her. She called her family every week, and visited whenever she had time off.

Deku Force, while a family, was nothing like that. They all came from varied backgrounds, and they all had their secrets, which were usually not exposed without great personal cost. Particularly Eri, who had seen and been through true horrors in her short life. In truth, Tsuyu didn't want to know it all, and she was sure Eri didn't want to tell her everything. But Tsuyu loved Eri, as dearly as she did her own little sister, and she was sure the feeling was mutual.

But Eri's love came from a place of desperation, which Tsuyu never would have known, if not for Shinso. She wasn't sure if she should thank him for that, but she was glad to know the truth.

The idea that Eri had rewound Tsuyu's memories, to trick her into not walking out on Izuku, wasn't terrible. Nor was the idea that Eri apparently felt little or no remorse in doing so. No, what bothered Tsuyu most about it, was that she wasn't sure how much Izuku knew, or if Eri had done this with or without his approval. His judgment was already questionable, and now Eri's was, as well. The smart thing would have been to leave them.

But Tsuyu couldn't do that. Not just because she loved them. Not just because they clearly needed her. Not even because she doubted they would ever find anyone else willing to put up with them. It was because, despite their flaws, she wanted to fix them, and truly believed she could. She wouldn't quit on them, and she wouldn't be swallowed up by their sins.

She would save them from themselves. What else could a hero do?

* * *

Hitomi was in no mood for surprises, but she seemed to keep getting them.

She couldn't get any reports from the perimeter guards. But it wasn't clear if that was because they were unable to respond, or due to the thick wall of ice that was currently surrounding the prison.

All of the reports she could get came from interior guards, and were centered around the intruders that had mysteriously appeared on multiple floors. She had no idea how they'd gotten in, but that hardly mattered. What did matter was that she recognized one of them immediately. Almost anyone who had seen All Might's final battle against All for One would have.

"Take them down, hard," Hitomi ordered. "And don't be fooled. If you know who he is, then you also know why he's no threat. I want his head mounted on my wall before sunrise!"

It was an unusual order, as Hitomi was not the bloodthirsty one of her siblings. But she wasn't feeling particularly merciful just then, and the last thing she wanted was All Might making a heroic comeback in her prison. She was likely in enough trouble as it was. No more mistakes could be allowed.

* * *

The Blightgate guards were identified solely by color, rank, and number. The only person on staff aware of their actual names was the warden, and she genuinely tended to forget them within seconds of first hearing them. They weren't required for the job.

Captain Blue-9 was in charge of a group searching the ground level. Though the entry point the intruders used had not yet been determined, it was the most likely somewhere on that floor. He wasn't worried, he had a good group.

Red-5 could sprout a set of dragonfly wings from his back at a moment's notice. It didn't sound all that useful, but few guards could move faster in a pinch.

Green-3 had a beast mutation, which included a furry face, heightened senses and reflexes, and rapid healing. Supposedly there was no strength enhancement, but Green-3 was naturally built like an ox, so it hardly mattered.

Yellow-7 did have a strength enhancement, but it was only active at night, which was fortunately the case at the moment.

There were others in the group, but as they lacked Quirks, Blue-9 was slightly less concerned with what they could do, and what might happen to them.

It was their misfortune to come across the man that all of them recognized as having once been All Might. Even if that would have normally made them pause, tonight was different. The warden's orders had been very clear, and reinforced with her own Quirk. So the guards took aim without hesitation, and offered no warning.

It was not so much the speed with which he moved, as it was the new appearance that stunned them all. One instant, he had been several feet away, staring at them with those unnerving blue eyes, looking like a decently strong gust of wind could knock him over. In the next, he was among them, towering over them, his wings beating the air and furry face roaring in rage, as he waded into them with powerful clubbing blows that scored nothing but knockouts.

Blue-9 was the last to go down, and his final thought before an arm the size of a tree trunk hit him was why in the world anyone thought All Might was retired, because he definitely still looked to be open for business.

* * *

His warp point was the ground floor, because that was likely to have the largest concentration of guards.

Sure enough, he soon found himself confronted with a corridor full of armed guards, more than half of whom clearly had Quirks, judging by their appearances. They opened fire without hesitation.

Sometimes it made him feel dirty, because it reminded him so much of All for One and the way he catalogued Quirks, but there was no denying that it made things simpler.

Dragonfly wings.

Beast mutation with accelerated regeneration.

And a strength enhancement, just to make it even easier.

He almost felt sorry for them.

He took more shots than he would have liked, but he barely felt them afterward, and was the only one walking away when the battle ended.

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Toshinori Yagi  
Title: Major Hazard, the Walking Plague  
Codename: Q2  
Quirk: None (Formerly One For All)  
Trait: Quirk-Less - Body projects an invisible area of influence. Any Quirk entering the area can be drained and used. The longer the target is within the area, the weaker their Quirk becomes, and the stronger the stolen Quirk becomes.

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* * *

"All Might does not appear to be very retired," Wipe noted aloud as they watched the security feed in the warden's office for the third time.

"I saw," Hitomi spat. "He seems to have an entirely new Quirk, in fact. We had no intel on this. It changes everything!"

"Does it?" Wipe asked. "Quirk or no Quirk, All Might has not been publicly active in years. If he had this power, but chose not to return, there must be a reason. I do not think this represents a return to hero work. More likely he is here solely to rescue Midoriya, and then he will go back to whatever rock he was hiding under."

"Unless we stop him," Hitomi murmured.

Wipe shook her head. "You do realize I was assuming you will fail to stop him? This is All Might."

"No, that was All Might. Years ago. We can stop him now. We know how."

"First of all, I am not a combatant," Wipe insisted. "Second, you-"

"You don't need to be. Even if I can't kill him, I can hurt All Might enough to where you can scramble his brain."

"That is not what I was sent here for. Any deviation from my assigned-"

"Are you actually saying you don't want to be involved in taking down All Might?!"

Wipe stared at Hitomi. "You don't understand. My mission completion record is perfect. Because I do exactly what is required of me. No more, no less. When people get creative or eager, that is when accuracy is lost. I will not be part of it. All credit, or blame, will go to you. If you plan to take on All Might, my only concern is escaping immediately, before whatever you do can backfire."

Hitomi glared at her. "You're so confident I'll fail, are you?"

"With respect: I am here to clean up a mess that happened on your watch. A mess that has now drawn the attention of All Might. Even if I were not familiar with you beforehand, I would assume that you should not be operating from a position of confidence at the moment."

"You're greatly underestimating me," Hitomi snapped. "I would suggest you stop it, or-"

"If you are about to threaten me with your Quirk," Wipe interrupted, "I would remind you of three things. First, I was called here precisely because my Quirk is superior to yours in convincing people to follow commands. So you trying to threaten me that way only serves to embarrass you. Second, I would refer to this part of our conversation as further proof of why my confidence in you is lacking. Third, I and my associate Lazer exist firmly outside of the standard command structure. Only one person may command us, his orders are absolute, and he is not you. Him, I fear. You, I fear for, especially if you ignore his orders. Do not anger him, Hitomi-san. I doubt he is in a forgiving mood just now, due largely to your sister's actions."

For a long moment, they merely stared at each other.

Hitomi blinked first, then snarled, "Get out of my prison."

Wipe said nothing as she headed for the door.

* * *

The sound of Himiko's humming again filled her cell as she sat on the floor, calmly filing her nails with a knife nearly the width of her arm. Hikaru sat on her bed, glaring at the wall.

"This sucks," Hikaru muttered under his breath.

"What does, Karu-chan?" Himiko asked brightly as she sprang to her feet gracefully.

He pasted a false, equally bright smile on his face and took her hands in his. "Don't worry about it, nee-chan. Everything is fine."

She laughed. "You can't lie to the one who taught you how to lie, Karu-chan."

He sighed. "Guess I was being stupid."

"No. Just being a good brother. I taught you that, too."

"Yeah, you did." Hikaru squeezed her hands. "Hey, nee-chan. Will you let Hitomi and I return the favor, just for a little while? Please, let us take care of you. Depend on your devoted siblings for now, okay?"

Himiko smiled. "You're both so serious, all of a sudden. Fine, if you want it so badly. I'm still feeling sleepy, so I think I'll take a nap."

"That's a good idea. I'll watch over you."

"Hey, if you're serious about returning the favor, you remember what I used to do for you, when you wanted to nap?" Himiko asked, grinning wickedly.

Hikaru blushed. "Wha... nee-chan, but-"

"Fair's fair, Karu-chan!" Himiko stretched out on the bed, laying her head in his lap. "Don't poke me in the ear, okay?"

"You always play dirty, nee-chan," Hikaru grumbled, his face red. Her giggles were a welcome distraction from the problem at hand, though. He knew there was a situation in the prison, and it was bad: Hitomi had implied as much, without giving too many details. But he didn't care about any of that. His job was to protect Himiko now.

At least, that's what he thought, until the monitor built into the wall lit up, revealing Hitomi's face.

"Nii-san, I need your help to capture All Might. It's for the sake of securing nee-chan's future. Will you come?"

Hikaru hesitated, until he felt Himiko pinch his thigh.

Himiko smiled up at him. "Go help Hitomi, Hikaru. I'll be fine on my own for a while. And I'll stay right here, until you get back." The smile remained even after Hikaru was gone, but then it gradually began to fade, and Himiko's demeanor changed entirely. Soon she was pacing the cell, biting her lips hard enough to draw blood. The sharp, familiar tang on her tongue was a small comfort, but it didn't help the one thing that was bothering her most.

"There's someone I need to remember. But who?"

* * *

In every version of the blueprints that Rei had seen for Blightgate Prison, there were no floors below ground level. To no great surprise, Hatsume's on-site scans of the building had revealed two such floors, and used Corey to transport Rei to the lowest floor. It had been nothing but empty torture chambers, from what Rei could tell. Beyond that, she got the strong impression that they had been used very recently, as if they had been occupied only moments before she came across them.

The next floor was far more promising: the moment Rei entered, she found a trio of misshapen monsters, all with their brains on display in protective, glass domes. The first monster was so large that his massive, muscular body nearly filled the hallway. The second had six arms that all ended in long, wickedly-sharp scythes. The last was sickly and painfully thin. They were all crowded around a young man. At first, Rei thought he was being attacked, but then she realized the monsters were not about to pounce, but instead were listening to him. Taking orders.

And the longer she looked, the greater Rei's certainty became that she knew the young man from somewhere.

Abruptly, one of the monsters shrieked, and the entire group turned in her direction.

"Go now!" the young man snapped. He immediately scrambled onto the hulking monster's back, and it broke into a run with shocking speed, followed by the sickly one, who oddly had no trouble keeping pace. This left the six-armed scythe wielder blocking Rei's path, and it was clear that was its intent.

Rei tapped her earmuffs. "This is Q3. Be advised, we have multiple Nomus in the building. At least three. Seem to be of the first generation, and one looks much like the very first Nomu. I am engaging-"

"Slash," interrupted a booming voice from the prison's intercom. "Greet our guest."

With an answering shriek, Slash took a step forward, dragging his scythes against each other and producing a horrible screech.

Rei pursed her lips and blew, encasing Slash in a thick block of ice. She began to run past him, but tripped and fell as her legs suddenly refused to hold her own weight. "What...?"

"What you're feeling now won't last long," said the voice from the intercom. "When Slash's blades cross, they release a powder into the air. It will only paralyze you for a few minutes. But that's more than enough time for the end."

A door at the end of the hallway slid open, and an entire crowd of Slash Nomus walked into the hallway.

Rei grimaced, trying to at least sit up, but her body wouldn't cooperate. "You don't know what you've done. You'll regret this."

"I doubt it. I never liked Shoto much. This will just ensure the feeling is mutual."

"Not... what I meant," Rei gasped as the Slash Nomus came closer. "Worst thing you could have done... was make it so I couldn't feel. Too much like... being frozen."

"Then you should be used to-"

"The next time I see you, you're dead, Denki Kaminari."

The voice had come from Rei's mouth, but her lips were twisted into a cruel smirk, and her eyes, once kind, were now red-rimmed and sharp. Even the way she moved now was drastically different, like a predator on the hunt. If she was still suffering from the effects of the paralytic powder, then they were fading very rapidly.

Most people never realized it, but Rei was always very careful to freeze living targets in such a way that it was possible, and relatively straightforward, to thaw them while still ensuring their survival. But it would have been very simple, to freeze them in a way that either killed them instantly, or made it very unlikely that they could survive being thawed out. Rei was such a person who knew the distinction and was careful to never forget it. But if she ever had, or decided not to care as much as she did, a person with her Quirk would be lethal every time they used it.

Fortunately, Rei was not that person.

Unfortunately, years of abuse had given birth to that person, and she now lived in secret, buried deep in Rei's subconscious. For the most part, people who knew Rei never saw this other side of her. She worked hard to keep that side locked away. But there were times when she could not hold it back: when she was extremely cold, when she was in a great deal of physical or emotional pain, or when they both recognized and agreed that there was a task Rei could not handle alone. And now, with Rei's life being threatened, was one of those times.

If the Slash Nomus noticed the sharp drop in temperature, it didn't stop them. What did stop them was the barrage of razor-sharp icicles that suddenly filled the air. It didn't matter how fast they struck at the projectiles. It didn't matter how agile they were. It didn't even matter how thick their skin was.

Rei never struck to kill.

But IRE always did.

And as she rose to her feet, smiling at the sight of cooling corpses all around her, and with fresh prey in her mind's eye, IRE was in her element.

She tapped her earmuffs. "This is Q0. We have a situation." She licked her lips. "Denki Kaminari has been killed."

"What? How?" Hatsume demanded.

IRE grinned, withdrawing an icicle from the brain of a Slash Nomu, and admiring the blood dripping from it. "Mmm. Good question. I'll let you know."

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IRE  
Title: Frozen Vengeance  
Codename: Q0  
Quirk: "COLD SNAP" - Specializes in production and manipulation of ice projectiles.  
Trait: Zero Temp

Warning: Subject is extremely hostile and, once fixated on a target, will not end pursuit until the target has been terminated. Must be paired with Eraserhead II or Sinfero to ensure cooperation.

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* * *

"We're done here, Lazer," Wipe said as she left the warden's office. "Time to leave."

He grunted and fell in step with her. "I figured that much from the little shouting match I overheard in there."

Wipe shook her head. "These children... they have no concept of conducting missions properly."

"We can't all be perfect. Sometimes, things go bad in the field."

"There is a huge difference between that, and inviting disaster through one's own actions, Lazer. I don't understand how it is they haven't all gotten themselves captured or worse yet."

"You should. It pays to be one of the boss's favorites, as you know. It just looks worse on them, because they're also spoiled brats."

Wipe opened her mouth to reply, but she never got the chance. In the next moment, a man with electric-blue eyes slid to a stop in front of them, attacking with such speed that even Lazer's Quirk was unable to respond in time.

No, Lazer was unable to respond because the man was attacking with Lazer's Quirk itself. And because that man had once been All Might. And at such close range, with his own Quirk drained, Lazer was powerless to prevent the attack.

And with Lazer crumpled at her feet, and All Might staring her down and armed with Lazer's Quirk, Wipe did the only thing she could do.

It stopped All Might in his tracks, and confirmed what Wipe had suspected and hoped was still true about Deku.

"I surrender," Wipe said. "But on the condition that you listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. And don't worry, I don't have any form of my son's Quirk."

All Might frowned as he took in the sight of her exposed face, now that she had removed her mask. "Then you truly are Shinso-kun's mother?"

"I have no right to call myself that any longer, but yes. There is much you don't know about me, and this may be the only chance I have to tell anyone, so I beg you: please believe me. For the continued safety of my family, you must pass on this message."

* * *

Eri was in a triply bad mood as she moved through Blightgate Prison.

Firstly, someone or something was endangering Deku's life. She didn't like that.

Secondly, someone was targeting Deku's friends and their families. She really didn't like that.

Thirdly, she hated being Eraserhead II. Mainly because she never put on that suit unless it was absolutely necessary, which meant someone had made it necessary.

Eri had trusted only Hatsume to design such a suit for her. And only then because Deku would only wear suits either designed by, or at least approved by Hatsume. Ironically, designs didn't necessarily have to be safe for the wearer in order for Hatsume to approve them, but they did have to pass rigorous lab-testing by her. And nobody knew of more ways to blow up things than Hatsume, so if she couldn't find a way to destroy something, then it pretty much couldn't be done.

The Eraserhead II suit, however, didn't actually do much itself that Eri disliked. It had all the usual resistances that Hatsume applied to nearly every costume she made. And for Eri specifically, there were rocket-powered skates tucked into the boots, and small claws that could extend from the gloves. There was even a retractable tail in the pants that had come in handy more than a few times. Not to mention cat ears, which functioned as a headset that did everything from keep her in contact with teammates to applying a personal barrier that prevented mental attacks.

The only real issue that Eri had with the suit was the bullets it fired. They were really more like pellets that exploded on impact. But as those pellets contained a special mixture based on Eri's blood, they would instantly shut down the Quirk of anyone they hit. The problem being that simply losing their Quirk did not often convince the type of people that Eraserhead II fought to stop fighting. Meaning that Eraserhead II often had to stop them by using her Quirk directly. And in such high pressure situations, speed took priority. Unfortunately, the fastest way to make sure a formerly super-powered villain did not continue to cause trouble, was to Rewind them out of existence. And that was Eraserhead II's specialty.

Eri understood what she was doing, of course. She now had the ability to access memories, in detail, from her childhood. She knew that she had erased her father. That was bad enough. So she had erased her memories of what type of person he was. It was better not to know, either way.

Tonight was different. Tonight, someone had nearly killed her friends, and was trying to kill Deku. And Eri found that she didn't much care who she had to erase, to get to Deku in time.

So she proceeded straight from her warp point, in the direction she thought Deku must be in. And each time she encountered guards, or any other sort of obstacle... she removed them. Quickly.

At least there were no bodies after, she told herself. She wouldn't have to see them on her way out. Which didn't mean she would forget about them. She never did. But she only had to see them the one time. Until she had to dream about them, anyway. That had to be enough. Deku would forgive her. He always understood, how important family was. He would never hate or fear her. He would always smile at her. That was why she loved him so much. That was why she could never, ever lose him. That was why she would erase anyone who kept them apart.

This approach worked very well, at least until a side panel in a corridor slid open, and a Nomu who looked seconds away from death fell into her path.

Eri began to feel sick just from looking at it. And then, she realized with a start, that it wasn't just the sight. It had a Quirk, and it had to be a powerful one, for it to impact her so quickly. Because even as she raised an arm to fire a pellet at it, her arm trembled and fell limply to her side, her knees gave out, and she crumpled to the floor.

The Nomu dragged itself closer, increasing the already high potency of its Quirk, and Eri writhed in agony as cancerous sores bloomed, grew rapidly, and burst open all over her body. She understood, instinctively, that this wasn't just pain. She was dying.

Perhaps, she thought, this was sort of what it felt like, when she killed people. Maybe she even deserved it.

The Nomu came even closer.

And then an unseen force took its head clean off.

Eri began to feel better at once, though that only meant the pain began to fade immediately. Her body had been ravaged in the space of just a few seconds. But, as she closed her eyes and applied Rewind to her body, the damage began to revert itself. And while she waited for the eventual return to her previous state, she opened her eyes, and gazed up at the ghostly form shimmering into existence above her.

"Thank you, Mirio-nii," she whispered.

The ghost nodded, and only when she was back on her feet did he fade from view. But she knew he was still there, always watching her back. Sometimes, he did little more than clear his throat when he thought she should speak up, grab her shoulder if he felt she was going too far, or give her a slight push when she hesitated. But he had never abandoned her, and he never would.

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Mirio Togata  
Title: Standstill, Master of the Negative Zone  
Codename: Q(-1)  
Quirk: None (Formerly Permeation)  
TRAIT: SLIPSTREAM

Eri intended to restore Mirio's lost Quirk, once she gained enough control over Rewind. But before she could, his Trait took over, pulling his body permanently into a pocket dimension where his time is frozen. He can still interact with the outer dimension on a limited basis, but only enough to be mistaken for a phantom by most people. However, as with his former Quirk, he can do so with startling speed and precision, resulting in virtually unblockable critical strikes.

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* * *

Izuku had no idea what was going on, but he knew he was in serious trouble.

He had woken up inside an empty, open cell in Blightgate Prison. There was no sign that anyone else belonged in there, and certainly no sign of any nearby guards. Naturally, Izuku had simply walked out.

The second he did so, a massive, muscle-covered Nomu burst through the wall next to him, shrieked, and began chasing him. At least, Izuku had broken into a wild run at the sight of it, and it kept following him. It was at least theoretically possible that if he stopped, the Nomu would as well. But, as he didn't have access to his Quirk inside of Blightgate, he couldn't risk getting caught by it. One hit from the monster was all it would take to break his back, or knock his head clean off.

Even without his Quirk, Izuku was in remarkably good shape. But only someone with a speed-type Quirk could run forever without stopping. And Izuku did not recognize the part of the prison he was in, nor did he have any idea where the nearest exit was. There was no sense in running full tilt toward what could be a dead end, but if he wasn't fast enough, he'd get caught.

But it did occur to him, vaguely, that he'd run far enough to at least have seen one exit, and yet hadn't. This was concerning, but the Nomu was still the bigger concern, not just because of what it could do to him, but what it might do to anyone else who crossed its path. Izuku was a person who always tried to put the safety of others before himself. Although, he could not be blamed for being chiefly worried about his own fate, at the moment. The Nomu was showing no signs of tiring, but the same could not be said for Izuku.

Just when Izuku's lungs were burning so much he could hardly breathe, and his legs were threatening to give out from exhaustion, he was saved by a miracle. At the time, however, it seemed like anything but one.

"IZUKU!" a familiar but not entirely welcome voice shouted.

Izuku went pale (well, paler) when he spotted, of all people, Himiko running full speed toward him from the other end of the corridor. Given the choice, he thought his death at the Nomu's hands would be quicker and relatively less painful, although a small part of him suspected that Himiko would hold and caress him as she allowed him to bleed out. It was hard to say which end was more preferrable.

But something about Himiko's appearance was off. She looked extremely worried about something. It took a moment for Izuku to realize that she was worried about him. And then she said four words that changed everything.

"USE YOUR QUIRK, IZUKU!"

With the Nomu closing in, and Izuku's strength fading fast, he had no time to question the sanity of that command, even coming from Himiko. And if he was going to die, he was going to die fighting.

"One For All: Full Cowl - Shoot Style!" Izuku muttered. The burning in legs became a faint memory, and then he launched himself into the air, directly at the charging Nomu's face. The chances that he would be swatted down before he did any good were very high, but it was all or nothing with this attack. But yet again, Himiko surprised him.

"Don't move, Nomu!" she ordered, and amazingly, the Nomu obediently froze, even though its twitching eyes remained locked on Izuku.

Izuku gritted his teeth. "Delaware St. Louis Spear!" Throwing his arms behind his back, he executed simultaneous Delaware Smash Air Forces, one with each hand, using the huge resulting blast of air pressure to more than double his flying speed. Now on a speeding beeline at the Nomu's head, Izuku roared and drove both of his feet, not into the Nomu's face, but into the glass dome protecting its exposed brain. The glass shattered, and Izuku's strike tore through the brain, ripping it to shreds. The Nomu's head rocked back, its mouth falling open in a soundless deathcry, and then it fell flat on its back, never to rise again.

Izuku's feet had barely touched the ground when Himiko plowed into him, throwing her arms around his neck and tugging his head to hers, fusing her lips to his in a desperate kiss. His first instinct was to shove her away, but as her tongue slithered into his mouth and flicked against his teeth, Izuku suddenly recalled how badly he'd come out of the last attempt to reject Himiko. And though he now knew his Quirk worked within Blightgate, he could not bring himself to use it against Himiko, and certainly not after she'd just saved his life.

So, with some hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Himiko, pulled her closer, and returned the kiss. She responded positively at once, moaning happily and digging her hands into his hair. And if Izuku were being honest, the problem had never been that he found Himiko unattractive, or that he hadn't felt anything for her. No, the problem had been just the opposite. He was supposed to stay aware of who she was, what she represented, and which side she was on. But in times like this, it was difficult to see her as anything other than a girl who was very much into him.

He could never introduce her to his mother, though.

Slowly, eventually, they broke the kiss, staring into each other's eyes. Izuku was slightly dismayed to see what he felt could only be love, or what passed for it in Himiko's slanted world, shining in her eyes. He needed to be careful. Because he didn't want to hurt her... and because he didn't want her going for his throat again.

"I knew it," Himiko whispered before he could speak. "I knew you didn't mean what you said before, Izuku-kun. You do still love me!"

Izuku swallowed hard. "I was... wrong to try to break up with you, Himiko-san. I'm sorry. I didn't take your feelings into account. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

She beamed at him. "Of course I can, silly. I love you! I'll always forgive you when you mess up."

Izuku smiled weakly. "You're truly an amazing woman, Himiko-san."

Himiko giggled and nibbled playfully on his lower lip. "After all we've been through together, you're still calling me that? You're so stiff, Izuku-kun." She sighed, regretfully. "You know that after tonight, we'll have to slow things down. It'll be a while before I can make contact again. But I promise that I will. You don't ever have to worry about me leaving you. We're forever, you and me."

He nodded. "I believe you."

"Say hi to Ochaco and Tsu for me."

She turned to leave, but Izuku held onto her, causing her to turn back to him curiously.

"Himiko-san. You could have left Blightgate at any time, couldn't you? Why did you stay?"

She grinned at him. "We're not so different, Izuku-kun. There's the mission, and the people you care about."

"Was it for Hitomi?"

Himiko's grin widened. "I know I don't have to tell you how precious a little sister is. You give Eri an extra hug from me, okay?"

"But-"

"Go home to your family, Izuku-kun. We'll pick this up another day." She winked at him. "Clingy girls are cute, but clingy guys? That's just embarrassing." She pulled away, blew him a kiss, then turned and ran off.

Izuku was still standing there, trying to decide if he'd made a mistake letting her go, when a large hand closed around his shoulder. He jerked in surprise, but instantly relaxed as the unreadable face of his mentor came into view.

"You will never hear me say it again, but she has the right idea," Toshinori said. "Let's go home, Midoriya-kun."

* * *

Sinferno was the only one that still had an appetite when they returned to the QSF base. He had inhaled one sandwich and started eating another, when Izuku and Toshinori stepped through the warp gate. He eyed them with interest, but made no move to greet them, and kept eating. A good choice, he thought, when he saw the way that Eri, Rei, and Hatsume ran to the pair. They would have flattened anyone in their way.

Eri threw her arms around Izuku's waist, but he had no time to return the hug properly, as Hatsume threw her arms around Izuku's neck and stuffed his face into her generous bust, making him blush.

Sinferno noticed the way the smile on Rei's face twitched and began to turn into a scowl. But once Eri let go of Izuku and returned to holding Rei's hand, Rei's smile returned. Sinferno frowned. This was not the first time he'd met IRE, but it was the only time he'd seen her for more than a few minutes. And he had never seen her try to resurface so many times in a single day. It hadn't been enough for Eri to simply Rewind Rei's body to a point where Rei was in control, IRE had still fought to come back to the forefront. Eri had had to keep a constant grip on Rei the whole night to keep IRE suppressed.

Denki Kaminari was still alive. And so long as he was, IRE wouldn't be satisfied. He had threatened her and Rei, and IRE couldn't allow that. The worst of it was, Sinferno understood what no one else did: the reason that IRE kept coming out wasn't because she was overpowering Rei. It was because deep down, Rei agreed that Denki was a threat, and she wanted him dead, too. And she knew that IRE was the best woman for the job, where Rei might hesitate.

Sinferno had no issue with IRE, save that her being out meant his time with Rei was reduced. He certainly had no issue with killing Denki, especially now that they all knew Denki to actually be both the hero Chargebolt, and the villain Taser. If given the chance, Sinferno would gladly roast Denki alive. Except that he knew IRE would only be satisfied with killing Denki herself. So it was more like Sinferno had to incapacitate Denki, but leave him alive long enough for IRE to kill him.

Well, it was something to keep him busy, at least. And he'd been starting to get a little bored.

"I can't believe you all came to save me," Izuku said. "Thank you."

"Who would test all of my lovely babies if you died?" Hatsume demanded. She paused, then turned to stare thoughtfully at Sinferno. "Well, maybe-"

"Don't you dare ever die," Sinferno hissed at Izuku, causing the others to laugh.

"We were all happy to help," Rei said.

"Except me," Sinferno chimed in. "I did it because everyone else was going, anyway. But I wasn't unhappy to help, either. Just... nonchalant."

"Uh... thanks, anyway?" Izuku responded.

"Whatever."

Toshinori cleared his throat. "Midoriya-kun, we should get you and Eri back to Deku Force HQ. I'm sure they're worried about you. And... there are some things I need to tell Shinso."

Sinferno started to protest that Eri shouldn't be going anywhere. There were only a handful of people that could keep IRE under control. And while she would respond favorably to Sinferno, his influence wasn't exactly pacifying. If anything, he might allow himself to be dragged into IRE's revenge plot. No, it was better for Eri to stay by Rei's side. Which either meant them returning to the hospital, or staying in the base for the time being.

"Excuse me."

Everyone in the room froze as the woman entered. Both the frosty expression on her face, and the cold tone of her voice, made it clear that she was unhappy about something. And if they hadn't all known better, they might have mistaken her for one of Rei's children. Which was fitting, considering.

Rei alone seemed unbothered as she released Eri's hand and stepped forward with a smile. "Momo-chan. You came to pick me up?"

Momo didn't smile back, but her voice softened. "Of course, kaa-san. Fuyumi wouldn't give me a moment's peace until we knew you were safe."

"Fuyumi?" Rei asked knowingly. "I think it was you who wouldn't let yourself relax, wasn't it?"

Momo frowned. "If you know that, why do you insist-?"

"Izuku's kindness brought Shoto back to me. Don't pretend you wouldn't have done the same."

"Yes, I would have. But you... kaa-san, you're... delicate."

Rei chuckled softly. "What a lovely way to put it. That's so you, Momo-chan. I'm so happy you joined our family."

Momo's composure broke, and she rushed forward to throw her arms around Rei. "Then, please, let us take care of you!"

Rei sighed and returned the hug carefully. "Alright, Momo-chan. There's no need to make a scene. I'll go with you. Everything is fine."

Momo pulled back, searching Rei's eyes. Clearly, what she found did not please her. "Would IRE say the same?"

The change was easily observed, then: Rei's face became harder, and her voice strained. "Get me out of here, Momo. And show me your old yearbook."

Momo blinked, but didn't object. She took IRE's arm and guided her out of room.

* * *

Once the plane reached the indicated area, Hikaru stepped up to the open door, carefully adjusting the pack on his back. He might have felt more at ease if there was a parachute inside, but no such luck. Still, all the tests had gone well, so there was no reason for the mission to fail now.

Steeling himself, Hikaru jumped out of the plane. He counted the seconds off in his head, but there was no real need. Once he reached the required height, the pack shifted against his back, and then burst open. The contents flowed over his body, and then the world turned black.

"You know what to do, Blackout."

"Yesssss."

He could not see, but feel the inky darkness sliding over his skin, extending downward. It pulsed in time with his heartbeat, and then, as he activated his Quirk, the darkness turned to crackling light.

* * *

Deep within the underground prison known as Tartarus, the lights flickered. The guards were instantly concerned.

Extreme precautions had been taken to ensure that the prison had a secure, uninterrupted power source. With the type of criminals housed there, even the slightest disturbance to protocol could mean disaster.

But, when all sectors reported no further troubles, the guards began to think it had been nothing to worry about.

A few minutes later, however, one sector amended their report. To be fair, they still had no definite signs that anything had gone wrong. Nothing they would dare to put down on any official paperwork, anyway. And yet it was very easy to hear the tremor in the guard's voice as he related exactly what was wrong.

"The prisoner is laughing."

This might not normally be cause for concern. Sane prisoners were becoming something of a rarity there, after all. But everyone who knew where that particular guard worked was instantly alarmed.

It could never be a good thing, if All For One was amused.

And sure enough, the next time the lights did something unexpected, it wasn't just a flicker. They went out entirely, throughout the prison. And they stayed off for twenty-seven minutes. Even then, the prison was not defenseless. The loss of lights had in no way interfered with the targeting program that controlled the guns trained on All For One. Not really, anyway.

But, three minutes into the blackout, the guns all turned away from All For One, and pointed upward.

No one could come up with a reason for this, but All For One was kind enough to explain it to them.

"Do not be alarmed, my friends. Your guns are working perfectly. But it seems that you failed to account for this particular situation. You see, right now, I'm not using any Quirks. But someone outside, or more precisely, far above, this prison, is. And normally, your guns wouldn't be impacted. But this person is using such a powerful Quirk, to such a large degree, that your guns cannot help but ignore me, and target them. Now, I don't want you to worry. I have no intention of escaping. If, however, someone was to be so kind as to liberate me? Well, I could hardly be so rude as to refuse them."

* * *

Hitomi was very upset about her failures with Blightgate, but she had no time to count her losses. Within a few hours, she found herself reassigned, which was curious enough. Even stranger, her siblings were sent with her, when she had been fearing they would be split up again. But, once it was stressed to her how important this next mission was, she stopped considering herself lucky. This was simply because their combined talents made them an effective infiltration team, nothing more. And such a unit was exactly what was needed, to break someone out of Tartarus.

And, though Hitomi didn't like to admit it, Wipe had been right. When an operation went as it was supposed to, and everyone did exactly what they were meant to, the feeling of a job done right was much better than trying to do more and failing miserably.

Still, Hitomi doubted that either of them had known then that her next job well done would result in her standing in the same room with three of the most dangerous people she had ever met.

"A flawlessly executed plan," All For One admitted, calmly flexing his newly released wrists. "I am greatly impressed. My compliments to the minds behind that Blackout Nomu."

"I merely made my people aware that mistakes would not be tolerated," Liang replied. "They rose to the occasion."

"So they did." All For One paused, turning his head in Hitomi's direction. She was currently invisible, and had been told that he was blind, but clearly he had other ways of sensing things around him. No one had aided him in walking that she had seen. Frankly, no one with a Quirk was comfortable touching him at all, for obvious reasons.

Liang cleared his throat. "Strobe. Reveal yourself."

Hitomi gasped and turned to him. "Sir?" she muttered.

"That was not a suggestion, Strobe."

Reluctantly, Hitomi made herself fully visible.

All For One hummed softly, allowing himself a small smile. At his side, his bodyguard gave a slight twitch, but nothing else.

"I believe it is your turn," Liang said. "This insurance policy only works if-"

"Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten." All For One gestured to his bodyguard. "Heatrash. The lady is waiting. Let's not be rude."

With deliberate slowness, Heatrash reached up and pulled off his mask.

Hitomi barely swallowed her gasp in time, as she stared into the revealed, scowling face of Katsuki Bakugo. The foremost question in her mind was, "Why?" But she knew there would be no answer at this moment. And things were tense enough already.

But what was most obvious to her now, was that Katsuki knew. He had to know that she had been Hagakure, and that she was Himiko's sister. And the only thing that would keep him from telling anyone else, was the fact that she, Liang, and potentially all of IllumiNation, now knew that he was Heatrash. There would be no safe place for him or his family to run, if he told.

He was just as trapped as Hitomi was.

"We'll leave you two old school chums to catch up," All For One said, sounding amused. "Class reunions are always fun, don't you think?" He left the room, followed by Liang, who shut the door behind him.

"Must be nice, not to really be dead," Katsuki muttered.

Hitomi said nothing.

"I don't care who you were or why you lied about it. All I care about is you're with the punks who killed my dad. And once I find a way to do something that'll hurt them the most, I'm doing it. And if you get in my way, I'll make it so you don't match your sister so much anymore." He clenched a smoking fist to demonstrate.

"It doesn't bother you at all that I was Hagakure?" Hitomi asked.

"Hagakure was useless. She did next to nothing in every real fight we ever had. I can't imagine how hard it was, for you to pretend to be so weak for so long. I never depended on her to save my butt, and now I'm glad I didn't. I'd rather trust a weakling than a traitor."

"What about you?" she demanded.

Katsuki grunted. "What about me? Nothing's changed. I do what I have to, to get what I need. If that means being Heatrash, I do it. If that means burning your face off, same deal. I never betray who I am."

"Neither did I! I did what I had to, to survive!"

"So your orders were to pose as one of us, and get intel on us. Fine. Were you ordered to make friends? Make them care about you? Make them cry when you faked your death? You don't fool me: you were a lousy student, but a near-perfect mole. And the only way that was possible, was if you never cared one bit about how we felt. That's what makes you a traitor. Because even if you were never our friend, you knew we were always yours. If you had come forward at any point and told the truth, you knew every single one of us would back you up. We were that stupidly loyal. And you used that. Hell, your damn sister is still using it on Deku, and she was never even one of us. But I'm not him. If I ever see you anywhere near my family, you're dead."

Hitomi narrowed her eyes. "Maybe you won't see me, then."

Katsuki sneered at her. "And maybe my price for busting out All For One tonight was a Quirk that will let me see you. Guess there's only one way you'll find out. But if you're wrong, you're dead wrong. So do us both a favor, and disappear for good next time."

* * *

 **Continued in Chapter 6: The Price of Love**

The worst acts, committed for the best reasons. Or so it seemed, at the time. A hero's task is to endure: the worst of the world, and the worst in themselves. Izuku struggles to build a family without losing himself.

* * *

 **Endnotes:**

It's easy to assume that Eri will one day gain control of her Quirk and restore any hero that Overhaul's bullets struck. But that's a best case scenario, and honestly, the way the manga has shaped up, I don't think that's the direction we're headed for. And it definitely isn't the direction I had in mind when I started this story.

The League of Villains had not gone through their transformation when I started this story. And I have my doubts about how long their current form will last. So I'm sticking with the old name, to be safe.

So here's an oddity: I don't know where the idea came from, but I assumed the Nomus had glass domes protecting their brains. Possibly I've seen too many movies where a brain was in a glass dome. Of course, now that I realize Nomus don't have that... it seems a grave oversight. In theory, the Nomus would at least need their brains to regenerate, or to use any other Quirk. And targeting the exposed brain is a quick, dependable way to kill them. So I actually gave these Nomus domes, first by mistake, and then on purpose. They can break, of course, and really, a dome made of more sturdy material would be better. But as the first generation had no brain protection whatsoever, it amounts to about the same thing.


End file.
